Meeting you, and Loving you
by MangAsian13
Summary: Merlin POV. As Merlin makes friends in Peterson High, a certain blond will take his heart onto a rollercoaster, but does this boy love him back? What is he hiding from Merlin? Arthur and Merlin AU.
1. Camelot

The day when I first met Arthur Pendragon, I was fifteen years old and was considered hopelessly stupid back then. I met him and physically became friends with him at Peterson High school; a small school for the children of 'less educated' families. Even though Arthur was not stupid, his education level still wasn't considered the highest, so the mayor of Camelot enrolled him into this run down high school. Oh, I forgot to mention the fact that Arthur's father is in fact the mayor, much to the mayor's dismay.

So here I am, ready to tell you my story. A story of love, betrayal and friendship...

* * *

**CAMELOT, 6th March**

Camelot. Located in the southern part of Wales. My mother, Hunith and I are both from Ireland, and how wonderful it was there; the large out spread, dark green forests and the jolly people who would entertain us with the clickaty sounds of the Irish dancing, and of course we joined in too! How I wished I wouldn't leave.

One night, under a full moon, my father was ill and his sickness was getting worse, so bad that he died several days before mother and I left Ireland. He told us that we were going to Wales that day, the first sound of it made me dread it and day and night I begged, pleaded to stay, but my efforts failed. So, here I am, standing on a dusty road that led to a large castle.

"So... Where are we going to live momma?" I asked, coughing violently as a dark, chocolate brown Honda car drove by, skidding dust at us.

"We're going to live with an old friend of your father's, Merlin," Hunith replied happily as she picked up her luggage and walked past me,"Fortunately, he is the mayor here, so no need to worry about running out of things. He also has a son, about your age, I'm sure you'll get along!"

I rolled my eyes, I knew my mother, she's the type of woman who seems to be able to peer into the future, kind of like the fortune teller I met yesterday, but that's another story. Thinking deeply I remember the time when my teacher 'accidently' told me about _teenagers, _the word is refered to children my age and it's been a popular word lately. Apparently, being at this age means _really_ _dramatic_ changes, and of course my mother knew that, but one thing she _didn't_ know was probably my sexuality. Recently, I found out I was unnaturally very, _very_attracted to my best friend, William, and I didn't like it, one bit! It was becoming a harassment whenever Will came over at my place, because I kept drooling and imaging utterly _disturbing_ things about him! I guess that might be something I'm glad about leaving Ireland for!

Clang! We made it to Mr Pendragon's home as mother -this time- gently closed the gate shut, I was standing in the middle of the pebble pathway staring at the scene in front of me. It was amazing! His house was huge! There were lush, green grass that surrounded the small pebble pathway leading to the white door, which had the name '**PENDRAGON**' engraved on it. Two moderate sized, cleanly cut, round trees planted inside a large red-brown clay pot stood parallel from the path, crimson roses flourished in low rectangular pots that were painted white underneath the clear glass window. Inside the house, I noticed a boy staring at me like I was some kind of alien; he had baby-blue eyes, shiny golden blond hair and white creamy looking skin. The boy reminded me of an English boy rather than a Welsh one, but then again, I have never seen a English boy before.

One blink and the boy was gone. I wasn't sure if he was just from my imagination , but since my mother said Mr Pendragon had a son, I was completely convinced that the blond boy was real.

"Now Merlin, you must be polite OK?" Hunith told me in the most serious voice she could conjure, as we strolled towards the front door.

Dragging my luggage along the rough, bumpy pebble path I managed to mutter, "Yes momma..."

My mother knocked on the door and waited, until an short old man with white hair reaching his shoulders opened the door, politely ushering us inside. As we enter the house, we were immediately sent to the lounge room; and must I say how grand the lounge room was? Walls painted crimson red like the roses out in the front garden, leaning against the crimson walls was a large old bookshelf, full of ancient thick books, lots of glass cupboards filled with antiques such as china cups and plates, on top of the cupboards were photos and paintings hanging underneath shell-like lamps nailed against the walls. Going lower I noticed a woolly rug dyed in red, blue and dark green lay under a well polished oak coffee table, the carpet was cream and was a little prickly but nether the less, well made.

Dropping my heavy suitcase beside the white sofas that were half surrounding the coffee table and sat onto the floor, not wishing to dirty the clean white sofas.

"If you are looking for my father, he's busy with paperwork," a young boy's voice appeared behind me, I had never heard a voice as smooth as his.

Turning around, I came face to face with the blond boy I encountered by the window. Smiling, I introduced my mother and myself politely while he introduced himself with twice the modesty.

"Arthur Pendragon, age 15 years, pleasure to meet you" he smiled warmly.

I felt warm blood gush into my cheeks as Arthur gave me a welcoming hug. It was so warm and comfortable, the smell of lemons blossomed around me until I felt the warmth start to fade as Arthur let go. My mother coughed at the scene and mumbled something about 'boys'.

"You two boys can go do your thing," Hunith shooed as she picked up a old newspaper and read through it slowly.

Arthur cheered and dragged me out into the back garden. Stumbling along, I realized I was standing in the centre of a field of flowers, all were primary colours. The flowers stretched across the back garden all the way to the end, where the giant oak trees stood high against tall white fences. I glanced at Arthur, he was staring at me fondly and it gave me shivers. He turned away afterwards, probably noticing my nervous shiver and spaced out.

"So, you from Ireland? Heard it's nice there," he began in a quiet voice, still staring into space.

"Yeah, nice and cold," I replied, smiling softly at the memory and began fidgeting a little with my thumbs, "Are you English? You don't look Welsh to me"

Arthur froze and didn't reply.

"Pendragon? Arthur Pendragon? Are you still here?"

"Just call me Arthur. You'll be staying with me and my father, so calling us by our surname is confusing and not to mention troublesome"

I relaxed when he began talking again, but what made him suddenly grow cold and distant? Pushing the question out of my head, we managed to create a conversation that wasn't awkward.

"What do you enjoy doing? Like a hobby?" Arthur asked out of curiosity.

"I like literature and painting backgrounds and people," I replied, "What about you?"

"I enjoy anything that requires my muscles. Sports and things like that"

"Sports... One of my worst subjects..."

"Hahaha, well, I can't say I'm the brightest student in the class!"

"Hah! The stereotypical sportsman is appearing!"

"What?"

"They say sportsmen are not very brainy, but they are very strong"

"You calling me dumb?! I said I wasn't the _brightest_ student of the class!"

"OK, OK, I'm sorry, I said too much"

Arthur puffed out his chest arrogantly, and then smiled sweetly at me while I tried my hardest to hide my blush. Why is this happening to me? I'm constantly blushing! This not good, especially if I'm going to live with him! Suddenly, heavy weight was forced onto me, and the scent of lemons embraced around me. Arthur was on top of me...

"Umm... Please get off me..."

"Oh, sorry I fell"

Getting off me, Arthur helped me up and put out his hand, "Here, make a wish" he whispered as I gently took the soft, hairy stem of the fluffy, white dandelion. With one breath, I blew the whole head off the dandelion, and watched the tiny white fluff float away, riding the chilly wind.

"What's your wish?" he asked in curiosity, staring at me intensely.

"Not telling" I teased and skipped away merrily, back towards the house. Arthur grumbled about something that sounded like _'Che, so childish,' _as I skipped away.

Entering the house with Arthur tagging along, I caught sight of my mother and the old man who ushered us in having a jolly conversation. Not wanting to interrupt the warm atmosphere, I tip toed upstairs, where my suitcase was moved. Arthur quickly came to my aid and told me where I was going to sleep. Apparently, I was going to sleep next door to him.

"Hope your going to enjoy staying here"

"Oh, don't worry, I'll be fine... I hope..."

The door creaked as Arthur opened it slowly, waiting for my reaction. When the door was fully open I realized the room was grand, maybe a bit too grand for me! There was a large wooden bed lying in the middle of the room, a large, rectangular, clear glass window let the sun shine through onto the rich, apricot cream blankets that were neatly made, an empty study desk stood underneath the window and a large golden brown closet leaned against the white walls at the corner of the room, near the door, by the window.

I inhaled deeply, trying to take in everything in front of me.

"You like what you see?" Arthur asked.

"Yes, did you prepare everything before me and my mother came?"

"Nah, Gaius did. He nagged me to hell until I started working"

I laughed at the statement, "I'm guessing Gaius is the man who's currently talking with my mother?"

"Yep"

Taking a step inside my new bedroom, my feet came in contact with the soft indigo blue carpet. I sensed Arthur rolling his eyes in annoyance as I was still standing in the doorway.

"You really need to stop _admiring_ your surroundings and just focus on getting a move on!" Arthur scolded, gently pushing me inside and closing the door behind him, "You gonna start unpacking? Or do you want my help?"

"I've got quite a lot, can you help me?"

"Sure"

I clicked open my suitcase that was lying on the bed and began to unpack while Arthur just stared at all the things I brought.

"You couldn't have possibly brought all _that_!"

"Well, I did"

Picking up my undergarments and clothes, I shoved them into the closet, while returning to the bed and pulled out a pair of... High heels... Arthur gaped at me, I quickly threw my mum's pair of high heels into the corner of the room. Noticing Arthur's attention was on my A3 size sketchbook, I let out a sigh of relief and returned to unpacking my things.

"You drew these?" Arthur mumbled, flipping through the pages slowly, concentrating on every detail of my sketches.

I couldn't help myself but I blushed wildly again, this time over a picture I drew. A nude woman, lying on a velvet bed, surrounded by oranges, "Y-Yes, I drew them. Can you not stare at the nude sketch?!"

Arthur immediately flipped onto the next page and began admiring that one. Phew, this time a sketch of my hometown. There wasn't much to see but Arthur seemed so attracted to it, he stared at it like he was trying to figure out a hard equation. I packed up my pens and pencils into a small clay cup sitting on the desk, and stretched out my arms. I was done unpacking.

"You done?" Arthur asked, closing the sketchbook and got off the bed.

"Yeah," was my boring reply, following Arthur out into the lounge room.

Shutting the door, I heard my mum discussing something to Gaius about him, something about _relationships_... Oh no, she couldn't have figured it out already?! No, that couldn't be... I haven't told her anything about my relationships at school, and I was pretty sure I hid the fact that I was gay very well. Arthur looked at me funny, noticing my sudden panic and gave me a pat on the head.

"Something on your mind? Something disturbing your innocent thoughts?"

I shook my head and replied, "No, don't worry about it"

"Ah OK, but just in case you do, I'm always there to help you"

"Aww... Thank you!" I said in a girly voice, making Arthur crack up completely.

Taking a step down the stairs Arthur conjured a deep grown up voice, "Why, I'll do anything to flatter a sexy lady like you," he smirked at me as I stumbled on a step when he said 'sexy'.

"Please... Quit the dirty jokes," I chuckled as Arthur pouted and apologized.

"And I was having quite a lot of fun! By the way, if I was a girl, I would indeed consider you pretty good looking"

I sensed Arthur's eyes travel across my body, scanning it. Taking a small glance before taking the last step, to my horror he was staring at my lips, eye's nearly lusting. Needing a chance to run away, I ran into the lounge room with Arthur running after me, slowly it became a race. Laughing and panting, we entered the lounge room sweating like mad.

"Where have you been, Arthur?"

The voice of an angry older man boomed in the room. All went silent, my mother still sitting on the sofa, the newspaper she was reading lay on the coffee table untouched, the other old man -Gaius- gave us worried glances, especially to Arthur. Did something happen when we were away? Where did all the happy mood go? I took a peek at the old man; his hair was grey, eyes blue like Arthur's, skin was wrinkly like any old man and a good straight posture that made him look tall and powerful.

I took a step backwards, not sure what to do or say, until he suddenly smiled warmly and politely introduced and welcomed:

"My name is Uther Pendragon, welcome to Camelot, boy"  
________________________________________________________________________

_**Reviews please? **_


	2. The AAL

**The AAL, March 7th**

School starts today. I wasn't sure whether to be excited or nervous, meeting new people had always been fun, but making enemies was not quite as enjoyable. I sat on my bed, waiting for Arthur to come inside with my new uniform. Ever since I met Uther, Arthur's dad, Arthur had quietened down and became slightly more colder. Though Uther was nice and all, even let me and my mother stay, I had this feeling of ice coldness everytime he pasted by. Returning to reality, hearing a knock on the door.

"Can I come in?" came Arthur's voice, muffled from the other side.

I quickly opened the door and let Arthur enter. He was already wearing his uniform; dark, navy blue thin cotton jacket over the thin white polo underneath, his long pants were navy blue as well, there was a symbol sown on the polo and jacket, a picture of a silver bird, wings out-spread and the school's initials stitched in the middle.

"Can you go outside for a minute? I kind of need to change..." I whispered quietly, motioning Arthur out the door.

"Oh, sure"

Hearing the door click closed, I quickly stripped off my pyjamas and slipped on my uniform. The soft texture of the shirt lingered on my pale skin, beating against my chest and stomach when I moved, the pants were as light as a feather and didn't smother my legs with heat. I reckon I looked pretty good.

I called Arthur inside and asked him how I looked. Arthur didn't say anything and just stared and stared... I felt a bit self-conscious and began fidgeting.

"So...?"

"OH! Umm... You look pretty stunning..." Arthur practically whispered the last word, obviously trying hard to hide his blush.

"Thank you. You look hot like always" I smiled sweetly at him, chuckling as his blush deepened.

"Thanks..."

After finishing making the bed neatly, I rushed out into the kitchen; the kitchen had hard tiled flooring and everything sparkled a white sparkle. Spick and span, like it always is, says Arthur.

"Woah! Since when did you begin cooking lessons momma?" I exclaimed, staring at the plate full of bacon and eggs on buttered toast, with the glass of fresh, cold milk, "The day when you cooked me something this good was, like never!"

"No, the housemaid cooked it," Hunith glared at me playfully, "Next time you cook us something then"

"Oh, now that will be the day!" Arthur remarked, beginning to scoff down his breakfast, "Can't wait to see you in a apron Merlin, my darling" he laughed through a mouth full of bacon and toast.

"Che, in your dreams"

"Arthur! Please don't speak with your mouth full!" Hunith scolded, her hands on her hips, "Merlin! EAT!"

"Yes momma..." I mumbled obediently and ate my breakfast as quickly as possible, I really wanted to go to school at the moment.

Glancing at the ticking clock, that was hanging on the wall by the door, I realized we had only five minutes to get to school on time! Rushing to get my school bag from underneath the table I dragged Arthur with me outdoors. Waving goodbye to my mother, I ran down the street, with Arthur tagging along with me. Arthur pulled his hand out of my grip.

"Hey, calm down! It's just school!"

"It's my first day! I can't be late on my first day!" I told Arthur urgently, and set off again, while Arthur was probably cursing under his breath.

* * *

At the school gates, students were chatting and laughing happily. The atmosphere was great! Nice and warm. I welcomed myself inside my new surroundings. The school was not that big from the front; the gates were made with metal, rough bricks fenced off the outside and the school was tall, like a church but wasn't wide or big and moss and weeds were growing everywhere.

"Not what you were expecting, was it?"

Arthur's deep voice came from behind me, I span around and noticed there were a bunch of kids my age standing tall, with their arms crossed, standing behind Arthur. A girl with long, flowing dark brown hair stomped my way and spread out her arms out protectively.

"Arthur Pendragon! You will not torment another new student!" she hissed, her eyes narrowing at Arthur.

"And why would you think I would torment him?" was Arthur's cool reply.

"Because that's all you have been doing lately. This school needs more students!"

Arthur rolled his eyes and turned to me, staring at me coldly. Did I do something wrong? Why was he looking at me that way? What's going on? Those questions fluttered around in my head, I didn't understand why Arthur seemed so cold just then. Wasn't he meant to be warm and cuddly?!

"Oh, don't worry. I won't torture this one, he's special," Arthur smirked at me, I stood there wide eyed, mouth hanging open, '_SPECIAL?!'_

"You better not" the girl warned.

All the commotion was gone when they parted ways, and the girl led me to her hangout. Along the way, I met this other girl; she had black curled hair and dark skin, her name was Guinevere, but she likes to be called Gwen. The brave and couragous one's name is Morgana le Fray, better known as Morgana or Morgan. So, following Morgana towards her hangout, I had an odd conversation with Gwen.

"You know Arthur Pendragon? Nobody, ever gotten close to the school bully"

"School bully?"

"Oh, yes. Ever since his girlfriend Sophia dumped him for some other guy, he had been acting like this ever since"

"Who's Sophia?"

"She use to be the prettiest girl in the whole school. Her group regard her as _Princess Sophia_. Hah! Suites her well too"

I nodded in response, trying to image this _Sophia_ girl in my head and then asked, "What was she like? Was she nice or mean?"

"She was a hell of a bitch! No offence to her but seriously! She picks a guy up and then drops them in an instant, like she was shopping for clothes or something!"

"Oh..." I trailed off, wondering why Arthur would ever go out with a girl like Sophia.

"Guys probably go out with her because she's pretty"

With my question answered, I stumbled into the opening; a gate covered in dark green vines curling upwards with roses sprouting out, red, yellow, and white, brown brick walls surrounded a large wooden table with round, log seats, yellow-green moss grew and crept onto the walls and the bottom of the table and seats, the ground was tiled with golden brown sandstone, there was a thin tin roof above, sheltering us from any kind of bad weather.

"Woah..." I breathed, and I thought Ireland was spectacular, but now...

"You like it? We designed it ourselves. Pretty eye catching eh?" Morgana said happily.

"Yeah"

"So are you going to be our new member of the Arts and Literature club? Also known as the AAL?" I snapped, how did they know I liked literature and art?

"Maybe, but how did you kno--"

"We have our sources," Morgana interrupted, smirking at me and then added, "We'll tell you if you join"

I sighed in defeat and took the sheet of paper and pen from Gwen, (who was standing there with the contract in her hands the whole time) and signed my signature on it. Gwen quietly thanked me and passed the contract to Morgana while she was smiling from ear to ear.

"Well, welcome to the AAL, Merlin Emyrs!" she cheered, tucking in the contract in her uniform pocket and walked towards the table, pulled out a black marker and wrote **Seat Currently Owned By Merlin Emyrs **on the the log closest towards me, on the furthest left. I watched as Morgana slip the cap back on the marker and smile at me.

"You'll be here everyday besides Friday," she announced, then paused and began again, "And on Sundays' and Saturdays' too"

"Is it alright to ask, why?"

"We make money by writing books and drawing pictures and stuff like that," it was Gwen who replied my question and began explaining what I had to do.

"You see, the school is kind of low in education and literature is the subject that is in the lowest mark lately," she began, adding hand gestures so I could understand, "So in order to push them further, we're trying to make money to buy things like textbooks and not to mention, things that can fix the place up. The school is goin' to fall apart soon..."

"But isn't that a bit tiring and aren't you being a little bit too ambitious? You may not end up getting the money, and what happens if the book isn't good enough?" I couldn't help but ask, I didn't want to see the two girls' dreams go tumbling down a cliff in the end, so I had to make sure the plan was full proof.

Morgana looked at Gwen with a worried expression and returned to me, "We had a feeling that you could help us with that. You see, Gwen and I are a little stuck, we don't know what to write about and since your from Ireland, you might give us some inspiration about your country and then we could use your country to create some story," she explained, staring at me intensely.

"Inspiration? How do that? Tell you what my country's like?"

"Yep, that's all"

I closed my eyes and viewed the open, out-spread, dense forests and the cold mountains lurking against the light grey horizen. As I described everything I remembered about Ireland, by my own eyes, Morgana and Gwen both stared at me in awe. Morgana dropped her pen and notebook on the table.

"I have another idea," she started, taking a seat on the table while Gwen was quietly sitting on the seat next to her, "Merlin, you write the story"

I was taken aback, my ears not sure whether Morgana's message was sent in right.

"W-What?" I stammered, "Me?"

"Yes, who else?" Morgana replied, rolling her eyes at my stupid questions, "We're going to help you whenever you get writer's block"

"Writer's block?"

"When you can't think of anything to write about," Gwen explained, sighing at my sudden stupidity, "I thought you were meant to be smart at least"

"Hey! Just because I didn't know a couple of words doesn't mean I'm dumb!"

"I guess that's true. Sorry then. Not use to people being smarter than us anyway"

"Are you the smartest students here?"

"Nah, we're the only ones who try our hardest," Morgana mumbled, "They call us the Nerds... Much to my dismay..."

"Why are you the only ones here? Are they any other club members?"

"Nope, they all left. Said it was boring," Gwen sighed, pulling out a can of Coke out of her black _Country Road_ bag.

"Arthur use to be a member too"

I turned to Morgana, noticing her icy cold stare towards the sandstone floor as she said Arthur's name. Gwen accidently coughed into her Coke, making it splutter onto her face. I didn't understand why everytime Arthur was mentioned, the atmosphere would turn cold and everything would become silent.

"Do you _hate_ him?" I asked quietly, taking a seat on the far left.

"I don't _hate_ him. It's just he changed so dramatically, without me knowing" Morgana began, her voice deepened, eyes saddened, "He was like a little brother to me... A brother I could never have"

"What happened?"

"I won't tell cause I can't. You'll find out soon enough, since your living with Arthur"

I shifted my attention to Gwen, hoping she would give me some hints about what happened between Morgana and Arthur, but she just shook her head in response and pointed to her watch. It was twenty-nine past eight, a minute until classes starts.

"Which class do you have first?" Morgana asked.

"I have science, S29. What about you?"

"Ergh, yuck, Maths," she cursed, sticking her tongue out in disgust, "You'll find me in A26, down at the back of the school"

"Gwen?"

"Oh! Sorry spaced out there. Umm... I have, I have science! S29"

"We're in the same class! I thought I was going to be lonerized on my first day!"

Morgana laughed, "Well, good luck then. By the way, beware of Nimueh, she's in your class, one of Arthur's fangirls. She'll do anything to impress Arthur, including getting rid of you, the new student" she warned afterwards.

Keeping that in mind, I heard the bell ring loudly through out the school.


	3. Romance in the Science Classroom

**Romance in the Science Classroom**

Science. What a wonderful subject it is. The subject that provides you knowledge and understanding of the most unknown world. Unfortunately, the _people_ in the class just seem to ruin everything, those ignorant brats.

"Merlin, you alright?"

I snapped out of my thoughts as Gwen's concerned voice rung through my ears. Nodding in response, I took a good look around the room; wooden seats that were meant to be lined up were scattered all over the place, the long tables descend in rows and I was sitting right in the middle, blue-grey, lined wallpaper was glued onto the walls of the school (they looked like they were about to peel off in any minute) and the blackboard at the front of the classroom was scratched and not to mention, filthy. The students were chattering loudly, throwing their utensils across the room and drawing on the tables, chairs and walls (practically everywhere).

Suddenly, everything went quiet. I noticed Arthur trudge into the room with his friends behind him, giving out glares at the other students. Sensing Gwen's alarm, I shrank myself furthur down the chair.

"Hey, that's my seat! Get off!"

A short but muscular guy stood behind me, glaring angrily. I quickly stood up, but Gwen stopped me and gave me a look saying 'don't listen, he's just trying to scare you' and returned to her book that she was reading the whole time.

"You getting off or what?!" the guy rose his voice, attracting everyone's attention, "Or do you _want_ a beating?"

"Hey, hey, Valiant, chill man, just some poor new kid," the low smooth voice belonged to this tall guy with dark brown, curly hair reaching his shoulders, he had piercing dark eyes, and smooth white skin that was slightly tanned.

The short guy (Valiant) sneered at me and threatened, "I'll let you go this time, but don't be too sure next time. Who knows I might crack you neck" and stomped off to Arthur, who was watching the whole scene in _amusement..._

"Sorry, Valiant tends to be a bit, possessive"

"Oh, don't worry about it. I'm fine"

Sighing in relief, the tall guy gently smiled at me and asked for my name.

"Merlin Emyrs, call me Merlin though"

"Merlin... An interesting name indeed," he commented fondly, "Lancelot, you can call me Lance if you want"

I replied with an 'OK' and nudged Gwen on the arm, getting her attention. Gwen on the other hand was too engrossed in her book that she didn't realize my constant nudging and shook me off everytime. Lance chuckled at her behaviour, putting his finger to his lips telling me to hush, he slowly and silently stretched out his arm.

CLICK!

The click tore Gwen out of her beloved book and back to reality.

"What was that for?! I was up to the best part!" she whined, slapping me on the shoulder lightly, stopping when she noticed Lance staring at her, "Oh, hello there _Lancelot_... Good to see _you_ again"

"Very much the same to you, Guinevere," he politely remarked back, "Well, Merlin, see you around then"

I just nodded slowly, not sure what just happened between Gwen and Lance. I watched as Lance returned to his group and saw him laughing with Arthur and the rest of the group. Arthur took a glance at me and looked away immediately when he noticed me staring straight back. Gwen noticed me staring and waved her hand in front of my face.

"You still here?" she asked.

"Yeah, I was just thinking," I replied, "Where's the teacher?"

"Late again," Gwen mumbled, gaping at the door, "Probably too scared to come to class, since your the new student more trouble will be caused"

"Jeez, thanks, blame it all on me, and I just transferred here"

"Heh, No problem"

Although Gwen said the teacher probably wouldn't come, a young woman with snow-blond hair tied up in a bun, and a sophisticated long grey dress and vest, walked into the classroom. Clapping her hands loudly, she managed to get the class's attention.

"Good morning class, I'm Ms Wild, and I'm your teacher for today," she announced, tapping the board with a long, thin wooden stick.

"Are you as _wild_ as you are called?"

The teacher paused and slowly turned to the student who said that. Unfortunately, it was Arthur... I was shocked to hear this as much as Ms Wild was, but remained silent and patient. Arthur on the other hand, continued to smirk and crack completely non-funny jokes about Ms Wild.

"You must be Arthur Pendragon, no?" Ms Wild crossed her arms and looked at Arthur intensely, "The mayor's son and heir?"

Arthur nodded, looking smug about his title of the mayor's heir. Ms Wild smiled sweetly at him, turned her back on him for a second and wrote his name on the board, adding a tick on it. The students all began chattering about how the brave the teacher was for putting Arthur on the board for a 10 minute detention while Arthur just shrugged it off.

"Oh, Miss, I'm _so_ scared," he said sarcastically, acting scared and vulnerable, "Oh, please, let me go free"

The class laughed at the act, but I just sat there gaping at Arthur, the Arthur I didn't know. Gwen wasn't laughing either and was frowning at Ms Wild as if she was up to something.

"Oh my dear boy, yes I'll let you go free," she retorted back with a high-pitched voice, "On one condition. You will never be able to go out with any girl"

Now Ms Wild was the one smirking triumphantly as Arthur stared at her wide eyed. I nearly choked on the air, what kind of teacher tells you to not go out with someone?! Gwen was now laughing quietly putting her thumbs up at the teacher while the teacher winked and put a thumb up as well.

"Hey! Your the one who thought of it, am I not right?!" Valiant roared at Gwen while Gwen just ignored him and continued to read her book peacefully, "How dare you ignore me!" he yelled some more. Gwen ignored again.

"You can't do that! Your not my mother!" Arthur cried out angrily, banging his fists on the table.

"Well, I just did, didn't I?"

"Grrrrr, you bitch, I'll get you sued for this!"

"Too bad your father is _way_ too shamed of you to do something like that, _Pendragon_," she emphasised Arthur's last name as if indicating that he himself was useless without his father's surname.

When Arthur was close to bursting, I stood up and raised my hand slowly. "Umm... Isn't this a science room? Why are we fighting rather than working?" I asked quietly.

Ms Wild turned her attention fully to me. "You are the new student, no? So, you are the reason why Ms Juriansz did not come"

"Yes, I'm the new student, but I'm not sure if Ms Juriansz did not come because of me..." I answered honestly.

"I assume you know Pendragon?"

I nodded, "I only knew him recently, nothing special or interesting really"

The whole class stared at me in disbelief. While his friends attention was on me, Arthur pretending to sliced his neck with the side his left hand and shot his head with right hand, which looked like a hand gun. I knew what he wanted, and telling everyone that I lived with him definitely wasn't one.

"Tell us, tell us," she urged on, sitting on her desk at the front of the classroom, "Unless, it's something embarrassing, and Pendragon obviously doesn't want us innocent people to know"

Arthur groaned in annoyance, shinking himself behind his desk. Lance gave him a odd look and patted him on the shoulder in sympathy.

"Uhh... I met him in that castle , the castle up on that hill, surrounded by trees. You know the one in front of the school?" I lied, remembering the castle I saw when I first arrived here.

"And how on earth did you manage to enter such a place?"

"Umm... I don't know, I don't remember," I continued to fib, fidgeting with my figure nervously, "Can we do something that's scientific now? This isn't a health class..."

"But your teacher didn't leave any work for you," Ms Wild stated, "And I'm just a substitute, so you children make use of your time then"

With that said, everyone cheered and continued to chatter like they did before Ms Wild came in. I sighed in relief, I was glad that was over. Gwen obviously knew I was lying and burst out laughing, ranting about how I was acting when telling Ms Wild about my 'aquaintance' with the mighty _Arthur Pendragon_. Glaring at Gwen, I gave her the cold shoulder, making myself seem aloof.

"Guess it's free time then," Lance's voice popped out of nowhere, which made me jump up a little, "Sorry, did I frighten you?" he apologized.

"No, no, it's OK" I mumbled.

"That's good," he smiled in relief, "That was a nice speech you had there"

"That? You kidding me?! I was trying to make it up on the top of my bloody head!"

"Wait? You didn't meet Arthur in that castle? Cause if you did that would be pretty cool"

"Why would that be?"

"Cause of your names," Gwen's irritated voice invited itself into the conversation, "You get it? The Arthurian Legends. Merlin the wizard and King Arthur, all that shit"

"Hey! It's not shit! Just because you don't understand it!" Lance argued.

"Yeah, I wouldn't want to either. The _last _thing I want is to be Arthur's wife and your lover... Eww... The mere thought of it gives shivers down my spine"

"It couldn't be _that_ bad"

"Oh, trust me Merlin, it's horrible"

Lance didn't seem so happy about Gwen talking down on his favourite topic and was glaring angrily at her. Gwen on the other hand, ignored him and swiftly returned to her thick book. I chuckled at the childish quarreling and drifted my eyes towards a certain blond...

Arthur had his head bent backwards slightly over the seat, his hair like a waterfall flowing with gold. I realized he was asleep, well, trying to sleep while Valiant and some other guy was annoying him by ruffling his hair and talking loudly. Lance glanced at whoever I was staring at and put his hand in front of my face, completely scaring my wits out.

"You scared me!"

"Sorry man, but you were staring into space. Well, more like staring at _someone_ but that's none of my business, right?"

I nodded, hoping the topic would be over soon. Unfortunately it was just the beginning...

"Oh what the heck! You like Arthur don't you?" Lance concluded quietly, so nobody could hear him except me, "No need to lie"

I groaned in annoyance, "Why would you think that?"

"Cause you keep staring at him! It ain't natural!" he explained.

"So what if I stare at him?! I practically stare at everyone! I am an artist aren't I?" I quickly denied, trying to find an escape route.

"Wait... You hit on _everybody_?!"

I slapped my hand on my forehead in total irritation, never been quite so annoyed before. "Yeah, I hit one everyone," I said sarcastically, but unfortunately Lance took it seriously and began to panic unnessesarily.

"Oh my god you per--" he was about to scream out 'pervet', until I covered his mouth with my hand and made sure he shut up.

Before he could say anything else I quickly explained, "I'm an artist and a writer Lance. In other words I _observe_, so I can understand how the people around me feel, work and look. It's easier to paint and actual person than to make one up on the top of your head"

Lance nodded, trying to contain the sudden information brought to him. To be honest, I a bit surprised to find out how childish Lance was after he saved me from Valiant, _so_ not what I was expecting. Lance must have noticed my expression and explained that many people think of him as cool and smart when they first meet him and then become disappointed when they discover the _real_ him. The childish and adorable Lancelot.

"Was Gwen like that too? Disappointed I mean," I couldn't help but ask, "You guys seem pretty close, even though you fight"

Gwen probably heard me, since she looked up and stared at me urging me to be quiet. "Excuse me but... Lance and are _not_ close!" she protested.

"Even though we went out?"

Gwen paused. Speechlessly, she didn't hesitate to return to her book and quickly scanned through the book. Lance smirked, it seemed obvious that he knew that was her weak point and had no problem taking advantage of it. I laughed lightly at the pair, and I thought Arthur was cute.

Speaking of Arthur, I noticed him taking little glances at me, blue eyes sparkling when he saw me staring back. Lance rolled his eyes and mumbled about something that had my name in it.

"You like Arthur, full stop!"

"You still like Gwen!" I smirked as Lance shrunk down a little, not liking where this conversation was heading, "Come on, I can tell from a mile away!"

"Y-You can?" he stuttered, "I thought I hid it pretty well"

"Well, I told you I _observe_"

"You observe too deep. It's scaring me!"

"You'll just have to get use to it then"

Glancing at the clock hanging on the wall by the blackboard, there was only 1 minute left till class ends and recess starts. Ms Wild was flipping through some kind of paperwork, lifting her head up occasionally, checking if we weren't making too much chaos.

RIIIINNNGG!

Everyone stood up and ran to the door. Arthur slowly trudged behind the mob of people, yawning, while Lance followed the loud and bossy Valiant into the crowd. Gwen closed her book and shoved it into her bag and swung her bag over her shoulder ready to leave. Following her, there was one thing in my mind.

_How strange first period has been...  
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_**Review please?**_


	4. The wonders of 'Space Jump'

**The wonders of 'Space Jump', March 8th**

I realized Arthur wasn't in any of my classes besides science that day and luckily for me, I wasn't tormented by this Nimueh girl either. I didn't tell you about my other subjects I had yesterday did I? Well, I had English, I struggled to make any friends there (Gwen was in a different English class), Geography, the teacher was some Indian man and he was hilarious! Goes on and on about his life! And finally I had Maths... God, I didn't like my Maths teacher, I bet she didn't like me either (kept picking on me in class).

I was also quite shocked at Arthur's sudden change of personality at school. Teddy bear to the big Grizzly Bear ready to murder someone. At home though, he was back to his normal self and was back hugging me and teasing me like no tomorrow.

"Merlin, wake up my boy!"

Opening my eyes, I came face to face with my mother, who was looking down on me with a frown, her hands on her hips.

"What?" I grumbled, pulling my bedsheets upwards, covering my head.

"Have you forgotten?! School!" she yelled loudly, enough to wake up the whole house, "Arthur's already done and is down in the kitchen eating breakfast! Now chop chop!"

Letting out a sigh, I trudged towards my closet and pulled out my uniform. My mother silently exited the room while I changed. When I was done with that, I rushed down the stairs, nearly tumbling down half way.

"Morning, what took you so long?" Arthur was sitting by the table, his plate empty, "Hurry up, your gonna be late," he told me, pointing at the clock.

I scurried towards the table, grabbed my bag, took a slice of butter on toast, said my goodbyes to my mother and ran out the door, with Arthur jogging after me.

"Why is being late so important to you?!" Arthur grumbled, walking with me side by side, "Did you get abused for being late in your previous school?!"

"No! Of course not! It's just that I don't like entering a classroom with everyone all seated and prepared. It feels awkward, especially when the students all look up and stare at you," I explained, scoffing down the toast, tasting absolutely nothing.

"And they say _I_ have bad table manners"

I looked at Arthur cluelessly while he chuckled and pulled out his red handkerchief. He told me to stop for a second and wiped my mouth gently, soft silk wiping of crumbs. Lifting up the handkerchief in front of his face, he made a face showing disgust and tossed the handkerchief behind him, letting it float onto the ground.

"You shouldn't litter Arthur," I scolded, picking it back up again, flapping it in the air, getting the crumbs off, "If you don't want it, can I have it?"

"I have a tonne of those, losing one isn't much"

"You could just say yes, rather than brag about how many handkerchiefs you have you know"

"Yeah, yeah. Well, 'bout time we ran for it, 2 minutes left"

Remembering the late bit, I bolted to school, Arthur just followed me slowly and calmly as ever...

* * *

The bell rang as I entered the high, metal gates, panting heavily. Arthur was not far behind me and wasn't sweating at all. He investigated his surroundings, quickly found his group sitting by a light green tree, near the brick wall, chatting about something humorous, he walked towards them and joined in the conversation.

"Good morning, Merlin"

My heart nearly stopped from sudden fright as Morgana greeted me again. I apologized for not answering at first and asked where Gwen was. She pointed inside the building and mumbled something about Lance.

"What's Lance got to do with this?" I asked.

"Heh, you'll see"

"I'll see many things here indeed..."

Morgana laughed and led me to first class, which was inside the church-like building (the main part of the school) and gave a heavy push on the overly large doors. I offered my help, but Morgana insisted that she could manage on her own and carried on pushing. When the door was fully open, Morgana motioned me inside; dark ceiling shadowing over us, windows vertically rectangular with colours of the sunset shone rays of orange-red into the room, visible, small dust molecules float around in the light. Columns of long red wooden seats lined up under the warm coloured windows, the seats part ways, making room for a long red carpet stretching towards the tall, black stage. Crimson curtains tied up on both sides of the stage, unused lights hung on the ceiling and finely polished wood on the stage floor had costumes and second hand clothes scattered all over the smooth floor.

Searching the room, I saw Gwen having a chat with Lance. Her hair was left out today and a small leaf green clip that clipped up her fringe. Oddly enough, Lance was actually making her giggle and chuckle, everytime he seemed to crack a joke.

"They still act like a couple, even though they say 'We broke up!' and then _pretend_ to fight, so it wouldn't seem obvious that they still like each other"

I laughed as Morgana ranted on about how _stupid_ Gwen and Lance are for thinking she didn't know about _them_ and continued to imitate Gwen with a extremely high-pitched voice, as if she was on Helium.

Blocking out Morgana's continuous complaints about how Gwen should trust her more, I noticed another raven haired girl walk towards Gwen; she had piercing blue eyes like ice crystals gleaming in the sunlight, her skin was as pale as a ghost's but still suited her and her hair, like I said, was as dark as the feathers of a raven. Too be honest, she resembled me, but not as skinny.

"That's Nimueh, the one I was warning you about," Morgana's voice went all serious as she watched Nimueh flutter her long eyelashes at Lance, pissing Gwen off in the progress.

"I thought she was Arthur's fan?"

"She is. But she prefers to have both Lance and Arthur. She's pretty greedy, though she can be rather friendly, just don't get on her bad side and she'll be one of the best best friends you'll ever have. She'll be there for you when you need her, avenge you and protect you when you need it"

"She don't sound so bad, she sounds nice, why were you warning me about her?"

"Because like Valiant, she's possessive and becomes jealous easily especially when it comes to Arthur"

It seems I have dug myself a grave, or more likely fate has dug a grave for me. I've heard about fan girls and apparently they can be aggressive. Morgana gave me a sympathetic look and gave me the pity pat and walked towards Gwen, Lance and Nimueh. Following her, I sensed a creepy glare drilling into my head.

"Good morning, Le Fray. What brings you hear in the performance hall?" Nimueh's voice was smooth and piercing, it sounded like she was use to ordering people around.

"Morning," Morgana replied in a cool tone, "Nothin' much, just showing Merlin around, didn't do that yesterday. Too busy"

I smiled as I shook Nimueh's hand. "Merlin Emrys," I started pleasantly.

"Just Nimueh," she introduced, "You and Arthur, pretty close eh? Saw you with him yesterday in science, didn't do anything cause I found it interesting, especially when Arthur didn't beat you up or something"

"Yeh, just friends. Arthur's not that mean"

"Hahaha, then you haven't seen the real Arthur! You probably already know me as 'Arthur's possessive fan girl', if you heard the rumours and everything"

"Yeah, I was kind of nervous about meeting you to be honest. Considering your pretty close to Arthur and knows about his past"

"OH! You flatter me Emrys! No, I would wish to be _that_ close to Arthur"

I was a little surprised by Nimueh's reply, all this time I thought she was going to scream at me or give me the cold shoulder. Morgana, Gwen and Lance didn't seem the least surprised, guess they must be use to it then...

Everyone on the stage scattered off as the sound of large door creak open, and sat themselves down on the long wooden seats. An figure of a man came to view; his height was a little above average, hair was poofy (not like an afro) and blond, eyes were sky blue and skin was slightly tanned, he had an amazing posture. Trailing behind him was another blond but was half a head taller than the other and had paler skin.

"That's Mr Swadling and Mr Bailey, it's better to call the taller one 'Sir' Bailey instead, otherwise, keh" Morgana whispered into my ear, slicing her neck with the side of her hand, and stuck her tongue out showing that she was now dead.

"Le Fray! You are to be quiet in this class!" the taller and paler man (Sir Bailey) ordered, while the other shorter companion (Mr Swadling) proceeded to the front of the class.

"For the last time! I told you to call me Morgan!" Morgana shouted, standing up, "Or I'll call you _Brendan_ for the rest of the semester!"

The class gasped, it seemed no one spoke to Sir Bailey like that, and because of that 'Brendan' looked like he was about to burst. So, as Brendan and Morgana fought, Mr Swadling stood there, unresponsive, watching them, rolling his eyes when he had enough of the childish ranting.

"You know he can't call you that, it's against the law," Mr Swadling reasoned, putting his hand up everytime Morgana began to protest, "You learn to respect us, teachers, and we'll respect you, the students"

"Yes sir..." Morgana finally gave up and let Brendan go, sitting down, sulking.

"Right. I heard there is a new student in the class"

I stood up and introduced myself for the eighth time this week. The two teachers nodded as if they were examining me, testing me. Looking up, they smiled warmly and greeted me politely.

"Welcome to the Drama class, Emrys," he smiled, "Hope you enjoy it here. Even though you might have to deal with him..."

Brendan glared at Mr Swadling while he just ignored the glare and carried on with his teaching. I sat myself down, listening to every word he was saying, sinking in everything. To my surprise (surprises keep popping out of nowhere today), I quite enjoyed drama, I reckon it's the art of mimicking.

"So anyone would volunteer to play a game with us?" Mr Swadling announced, "It's called '_Space Jump_'. You all know the rules! Emyrs, Le Fray will teach you along the way. Guinevere! You make sure everyone is in a circle!"

"Right away, sir," Gwen obeyed, quickly ordering people around politely and shyly.

"OK! Nimueh, tell me when everyone is done. I'll be in the next classroom, B12" with that, he left us with a load full in our hands.

Brendan was still here though, but wasn't doing much, besides sit on the stage cross-legged and watched us prepare in amusement. Morgana seemed strangely attracted to the lazy, pain in the ass teacher and tried to get his attention, by forcing him to help with the preparation. Yeah, not a very good tactic for attracting a guy, especially one as lazy as this. But nether the less, she tried.

"You need help?" I asked Gwen as she continued struggle with one of the student in the class. I think the guy's name was Francis Lewis Archer, and he won't do something unless he wanted too.

Gwen nodded desperately, while Francis just scoffed and gave me a challenging look. I gotta say, I despised people like these...

"Excuse me, but your not making Gwen's life any easier, can you join the circle please?" I began, motioning him to sit in the circle where the other students were.

"Why should I? Your not doing it!" Francis retorted stubbornly, "Your not the boss of me!"

"Have you forgotten that there's a teacher in the room?! FRANCIS LEWIS ARCHER!"

Scared shitless, Francis quickly sat down with the rest while Brendan warned him one more time that if he didn't listen to the chosen leaders he will be punished. All went quiet and everything was perfectly prepared, I sat down in between Morgana and Gwen, Lance was snoozing on the opposite side of the circle. I noticed Nimueh rush out the back exit.

A few minutes later, Mr Swadling came in, smirking. Two people trudged behind him, one was tall and muscular, Arthur, and the other was none other than Nimueh. Arthur remained silent as he found Lance and trudged towards him, taking a seat beside him. To my relief, he didn't notice me, I didn't want a racing heart at a time like this...

Brendan chose the first acter. Morgana. 'Jumping' into the centre of the human circle, she slipped her hands into her pockets and whipped out an imaginary cell phone. Walking back and forth, as if she was in distress and was arguing to the imaginary person on the other line.

"What are you talking about?!" she asked in confusion (acting), "I didn't say I was at the cafe! I said I was in my office, doing the paperwork, remember?"

"Space Jump!"

Once Mr Swadling called out 'Space Jump' Morgana froze on the spot and Lance joined her into the act. He leaped across the floor and did a couple of smooth, flawless spins.

"Good day, Morgan," he greeted, taking Morgana's hand and spun her around, "I see your as beautiful as ever"

Morgana giggled, "Oh, you flatter me. Made my mood better as always"

"That lazy boyfriend of yours gettin' on your nerves again?"

Still dancing, their conversation continued. Lance swiftly pulled Morgana into a soft embrace and began to dance the Tango with her.

"Yeah, but forget him... I've got someone more... sexy..."

"Oh yeah? I wonder _who_ that is?"

"S-Space Jump!" Morgana and Lance froze.

Man, that was heated, I swore everyone watching nearly had a nose bleed. Mr Swadling coughed slightly at the intimacy in the act, while Brendan didn't seem so happy at all, he was fuming with, I think it was jealousy. Gwen looked as if she was on the verge of fainting and was flapping her hand in front of her face, cooling her down. Morgana and Lance were smiling at the audiences' reaction.

Suddenly, Arthur stood up and walked into the circle, gaining everyone's attention. To my amazement, he began with a tap on the shoulder for Lance and whispered something into his ear. Lance nodded and began to speak.

"Sire, What on earth are you doing here? And at a time like this?"

Morgana seemed to know what was happening and joined in. "Do you see what your doing is wrong? I warned you that bad luck will fall on you if you followed!"

"It is my duty to protect my people! Don't think you can make me go back on my word!" Arthur snarled, "Even if you are like a sister to me"

"Even if it is your duty, what will happen if you died and your people didn't have a King anymore?! That is not helping your people at all!" Morgana argued, stomping her foot on the ground, her hands clenched, "Or have you gone mad like your father?"

"My father is not mad! He just went along with his beliefs! He thought it'll protect his people!"

"And guess what happened?! Death! He continued to murder those innocent lives!"

Arthur looked defeated, his eyes wide, flashed with anger and broken pride. Lance looked helpless and tried to stop the fight, but Morgana urged on, pushing Arthur's buttons simultaneously.

"That's right! Your speechless because what I said was the truth!" she yelled in Arthur's face, "Your useless without him! Your becoming more and more like him! I still don't see what your servant saw in someone like you!"

"My lady... Please stop, you have done enough damage," Lance said quietly, glancing at Arthur, who was looking down on to the floor.

"Grrrr... He was right, you are a prat! A stupid one too!" Morgana whispered coldly as Lance pulled her away from Arthur slowly, "Yet, he still loved you, even though you brushed him off and punished him for absolutely no reason"

"Space Jump!" the trio froze once again.

All was quiet, everyone was staring in awe, completely zoomed into the act. I waited for someone to stand up and join in, but no-one did. So I gathered all my courage and lifted myself off the floor and joined in.

"Are you talking about me?" I whispered quietly, staring at Arthur.

Arthur seemed to lose all life in him as he watched me walk closer and closer. I guess he didn't notice me before. Ocean-blue locked with sky-blue, there was one thing we _both_ had on our minds...

_Don't let the act get to you...  
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**Thank you for reviewing Black-Dranzer-1119 & Vortex Rivers.**


	5. Badminton Wars and Badminton Bets

**Badminton Wars and Badminton Bets**

"Are you talking about me?"

It actually took quite some time to conjure those words and get them out of my mouth, but I succeeded nether the less. Arthur seemed so speechless that I couldn't help but to blush and giggle a little. Morgana walked up to me and slid her arm around my shoulders and mumbled something into my ear, which I didn't pick up, too busy staring at a certain blond.

"Merlin, your playing the sorcerer and servant to Prince Arthur," she whispered into my ear again, nudging my ribs, telling me to pay attention, "You are currently in love with him alright?"

I responded with a nod, before I realized, _I had to pretend to be in __**love**__ with the guy I'm already falling for?! Oh dear god... Fate is a scary thing..._ Arthur looked suspiciously at me and Morgana while Lance just coughed lightly, knowing what's going on. Taking a deep breath in I took a step forward and spoke.

"Sorry sire, but I had to follow you," I apologised, bowing down as if I was speaking to a superior, and I was at the moment.

"I told you to stay in the castle! You never follow my orders do you?!" Arthur snapped, "You really are the most _stupid_ manservant I've ever had!"

"I think I already knew that, you told me that like 500 times!" I remarked, I made my way towards Arthur, "Your such a prat!"

Arthur raised his eyebrow at the remark, while Morgana and Lance were on the verge of laughing hysterically and were trying to suppress it. Stepping in, Morgana took my side and stood there with her arms crossed, glaring at Arthur. Lance strolled towards Arthur and stood beside him.

"I'm sorry sire, but as your most trusted knight, I cannot put you in danger. You are the most precious being in all of Camelot, and the whole kingdom will go in ruins if you died or get injured," Lance reasoned calmly, "Lady Morgana is right, you dying does nothing to help your people. Your people need you to be alive"

Arthur stopped and let himself think, "I guess your right... I've been stubborn and unreasonable," he mumbled sadly, "My people need a living prince, not a dead one"

"Well, I expect you to go back," Morgana ordered, putting her hand on Arthur's shoulder, "Oh, and I'm coming with you"

"But I need to do something, I can't just watch and wait for my knights to get killed and return... I'm their leader"

"No matter who you are, just remember, there are people who love you," I murmurred as we walked out of the circle.

At first there was silence, then the audience cheered loudly. Mr Swadling and Brendan clapped as well, along with everyone else. Arthur gazed at me, looking away as I stared back and edged a bit closer to me.

"Did you mean everything you said up there?"

I inhaled sharply, did he notice already?! I glanced at him, not replying, but nodded in response. Arthur eyes went wide and if it was my imagination I must be going insane! I swear Arthur just brushed his hand against my thighs and bottom! I blush furiously, as I felt a hand softly brush against certain places that are rather private. Arthur must have noticed and stopped, leaving me cold.

When everyone stopped applauding, the bell rung loudly outside. Recess. The whole class barged out the large door and gathered together with their friends. Gwen, Morgana and I prefered to exit through less stuffy, noisy crowds, and went out the back exit, behind the stage. I didn't notice Arthur following us, until he snaked his arms around my waist, pulling me closer towards him.

"A-Arthur! We're in public!"

"Aww... But I wanna be close to you..." Arthur whined quietly in my ear, his arms tightening around me, "You know you want it" he smirked.

I swear he was deliberately making me embarrassed, as he chuckled when my blush deepened every second his arms tightened it's hold. I struggled to get lose, feeling myself get pulled deeper towards Arthur, his scent embraced me dramatically, nearly sending me to sleep. I wondered where Morgana and Gwen was. Have they left me behind? Did they know Arthur was stalking us? Maybe they knew I was gay...

Suddenly my legs were off the ground, Arthur's arm underneath, carrying me gently. I tried my hardest to not stare at him, and fortunately he was preoccupied. Without any warning he took me back inside the church-like drama room, looping a rope around his right leg, he dragging it with him.

"What are you doing?!" I asked in curiosity as he put me down on the edge of the stage and began to tie my legs together with the rough rope.

I tried to stop Arthur by kicking my legs out wildly, but he just held onto them firmly and proceeded to tying them tightly.

"Stop it! What do you think your doing?!"

"Tying you up, what do you think?" he replied calmly, knoting a second knot so it was harder to untie, "Don't worry, I'm not gonna do anything to you. Just need to talk about certain things"

"And what on earth do you want to talk about?! With me tied up too!"

He hesitated for a second and continued. "Has Gwen told you about the girl Sophia? The one I went out with"

"Yeah, heard she was a bit..." I paused, I was about to say 'bitchy' but since she was Arthur's girlfriend, I figured it would have been better if didn't say anything.

"Bitchy," Arthur interjected, he must have read my mind.

I nodded. He laughed.

"Sorry, but after hearing what she was like, I was like... Scary..."

"Yeah, nearly everyone's like that though. Not very fond of her."

"You are though," I put in, looking into his eyes, wondering if his feelings were true, "Heard you were devastated when she dumped you"

"What?! No, no, that's what everyone else would like to think! The Arthur Pendragon has finally fallen to his knees!" he exclaimed, I noticed his eyes fill with disgust of thinking he would even care about Sophia dumping him, but behind those eyes of disgust, I hinted a bit of lonliness hiding beneath.

"Do you really think they would wish for that to happen? You falling to your knees that is," I whispered seriously. Ever since I was a child, I was known to be very serious about other peoples feelings and life in general, so my mother would say I mature faster than the rest.

Arthur expression changed dramatically, from disgust to shock. Had he thought I was a childish person? Either way, his reply wasn't very pleasant, more like a King opinionating on his subjects, and not in a good way.

"Yes. They are bloody people who have no idea who I am. They only know how to judge me by how I look, and by my father's name. They only insult, because they're either envy me or are too afraid to speak to me. I reckon, they are annoying parasites beyond words"

I sat there, my legs tied up, hanging off the edge of the stage, watching Arthur slowly deflame himself emotionally. After he calmed down, he seemed tired and weak, like he had been fighting the world.

"D-Do you think I'm a parasite? Always watching you and wondering how you are?" I asked, confessing about the fact that I watch him, and think about him.

"Of course not! I think you're the best person that I have ever met! You don't know how important you are to me!"

Arthur quickly covered his mouth with his hand, while I stared wide eyed. Did he really say that? Or am I hullicating?! I noticed his blush deepen, reaching his ears.

"I-I need to go"

With that he ran out of the drama room, leaving me tied up, unable to walk. Sighing, I reached down and undid the massive knot, and watched as the rope fall down onto the ground with no sound. Picking the rope up, I left the room silently.

* * *

**Skipping to Last Period**

PE. Otherwise known as Physical Education. It seems, our class had to play a game of badminton against the other class. The teachers, Mr Healey and Ms Nettle both agreed on this stupid bet. If Mr Healey's class wins, he will get $5000, and if Ms Nettle wins, he will have to run around the school in his underpants. Yes, I know it is extremely childish, but what can I say? It definitely was an entertaining suggestion.

So here we are, in the large spacious building that was located on the very side of the two massive ovals. The building was separated in two parts, one part was the gym. The gym was located on the left, tall metal bars and weights were placed neatly across that part of the building. The other half was the tennis or badmington courts. Did I mention that it had a two more levels? Well, the second level are for the basketball players (just in case it rains) and the third level is the ping pong championships room (used only for training, it's out of bounds for kids like me).

At least this school was known for sports and sportsmanship, rather than brains. Mr Healey said they had won several medals and trophies for soccer, tennis and basketball.

As we moved towards the right side of the room, Mr Healey lined us up. Looks like we're gonna play doubles. I was greatful that I was teamed up with Morgana and was extremely happy that we were not going to play first, we were gonna be last.

- When it was our turn -

"Mr Healey's class, 12 points! Ms Nettle's class, 13 points!" called out a boy with flaming red hair and returned to his seat.

Morgana and I stood up and walked onto the court, she took the front while I took the back, we waited for our oppontent and much to my dismay... Valiant and Nimueh. The two competitive people will surely smash us, and if they did, Mr Healey and both of them will never let us forget it.

I picked up the shuttle (the 'ball' used for badminton, you know the ball with the feathers sticking out of it), threw it in the air gently and hit it hard, but hit the air rather than the ball. I tried again. Failed. Sent it straight out.

"Use more of your wrist! Don't put too much power on your serves!" ordered Mr Healey, demenstrating how to do it.

I responded with a nod, threw the shuttle in the air again, hit it with less power and used more of my wrist and sent it spinning like a drill through the air. This seemed to shock Valiant, as the shuttle zoomed past him and hit the ground (inside the court).

"Team B 1, Team A 1!"

Morgana smirked, giving me a high five along the way and returned to her front postion on the right. Ready to serve again, I noticed Nimueh whisper something into Valiant's ear and chuckled afterwards.

"Hey Emys, Le Fray! We delcare _war_! If you lose you become our slaves!" he announced, the class cheered. This was gonna be interesting...

"Your on! But you have to be our slaves if you lose!" Morgana backfired with a smirk, sending the rival classes cheering wildly.

Ms Nettle sighed and shoved her forehead onto her hand while Mr Healey cheered along with the class. The umpire (redheaded boy) blew his whistle loudly and the war began.

I shot the shuttle towards Nimueh (who was standing at the back of the court, on her left). Nimueh let out a high pitched yell and sent it straight back. Morgana dived in. Volleying the ball just in time. But Valiant popped out of nowhere and smashed the shuttle right into our side of the court. The umpire called out the scores and let us continue. This will the last serve for us, and the next round will tell us who is the winner. Them or us.

"Here, you serve"

I handed Morgana the shuttle and switched positions with her. I stood at the front, watching Nimueh and Valiant. Nimueh had her knees bent, her back crouching a little, ready for the shuttle to come to her. Valiant was standing casually like me, but was_ way_ more alert.

I saw the ball shoot past Valiant towards Nimueh. But she just stuck her arm out and drove it right towards me. Not sure what to do, I let my reflexes and instincts so submerge. WHAM! The shuttle went splat onto the ground, in Team A's court.

"I'm so gonna get that $5000, you better be prepared!" I heard Mr Healey remark, as Ms Nettle glared at him angrily.

"Team A serve!"

Oh no... I had this dreadful feeling swurling in my stomach as Valiant picked up the shuttle, prepared to serve. He sent the shuttle flying into the air. Suddenly, it came crashing down like a meteor! Morgana tried to pin down the right spot to hit it. I cried out. The shuttle landed straight in the middle of our side of the court. Morgana whined and glared at Valiant.

"Team A 2, Team B 2!"

As the game continued, we began to struggle to keep up with Team A's stamina. At the end of the game Morgana and I were panting heavily, while Valiant and Nimueh cheered, along with their class. Ms Nettle wiggled her eyebrows, hinting Mr Healey about their bet, Mr Healey groaned.

Morgana and I had to sneak out of the classroom to get home, so we wouldn't get yelled at.

* * *

When I got home, I realized nobody was home at the moment. Gaius must have went to go grossary shopping with the cooking maid, Mr Pendragon must be at a meeting and mother should be at work at the newsagency three streets away. Arthur wasn't home, so he's probably got soccer practice.

Humming the song _One in a Million_, I took the can of _Pepsi_ from the table and went up to my room.

"No, no, stop we shouldn't be doing this!"

I stopped by my door and stared at Arthur's bedroom door. Why is there a chick in Arthur's room?!

"So what? I wanted this for _so _long," I nearly choked on my Pepsi when I heard Arthur's husky voice.

"What if someone barges in?!" the girl's voice said in a panic.

Suddenly I heard a pleasured scream. Blocking my ears, I rushed into my room and shut the door loudly. Afterwards there was silence. Did Arthur just say that as a joke?!

_Am I really the most important person to you? Arthur?_


	6. Midnight Emotions

**Midnight Emotions, March 9th**

It was 12 o'clock, midnight, and I couldn't sleep. The images of Arthur and that girl rolled around in my mind continuously. Since I couldn't sleep, I figured I would at least begin the book that Morgana and Gwen were talking about, or maybe start a new picture. Actually, I'll start the book.

Opening the draw of the study desk, I felt through the pile of rough utensils and found the sheets of paper. OK, that's for my draft. I switched on the lamp on the desk, and sat down on the newly bought spinning black chair (gotta love those chairs) as the room lit in a warm, peachy yellow-orange colour. Grabbing the blue pen by the lamp, I began writing. With no plot, no storyline on my mind. So I just go with the flow and improvise.

_The morning breeze fluttered through the window, on this chilly day. A young boy stumbled through the piles and piles of sheep's wool -_

No, no. This wasn't right! Sheep's wool?! Why on earth would there be sheep's wool in the house?! With that, I covered the 'sheep's wool' part with whiteout (it was in a small glass jar, where the pencils were) and continued to write.

_- piles and piles of maps and other traveling devises. He had short, golden hair, piercing blue eyes like sapphires in the light, he had slightly tanned skin, but you could still tell he was originally white -_

Oh my god... This wasn't the time to be writing about Arthur! Sighing, I gave up for now and shoved the draft in the draw, with the rest of the failed drafts. I wonder what Arthur's up to? Is that girl still in his room?

My curiosity got the better of me, and I began to tip toe out of my room and into Arthur's like a robber. I took a peek through the small opening of the door, making sure nobody was awake inside.

This was the first time I've seen his room, it was the complete opposite of mine; indigo walls surrounded the queen-sided bed, a long study desk painted black had absolutely nothing on it (I'm pretty sure it was dusty too), a tall white lamp by his bed stood on the black clothes draw, a shelf full of silver, golden trophies and medals, there was a soccer ball, basket ball, rugby ball (any type of ball really) scattered across the snow-white, carpet floor.

Taking a deep breath, I let my eyes wonder towards the bed, and who or _what_ was in it. Two lumps were visible from outside the door, so that means the girl was still here.

"Arthur, I thought you didn't want me around anymore," the girl's voice mumbled loud enough for me to hear, "I-I was wrong about dumping you..."

_Dumping?!_So this was Sophia! Gahhh! What was she doing here?! I thought Arthur didn't like her?! Was he joking around about that too?! I couldn't believe how outraged I was at the moment! Enough to barge into Arthur room, without knocking.

"Arthur?!"

I nearly screamed the words out, but managed to keep myself calm. Arthur shot up, his eyes look petrified and shocked, while Sophia sat up, yelped and immediately covered herself with the ocean blue blankets.

"Merlin, this isn't what it looks like!" Arthur said quickly.

"Then what were you two _doing_?" I spat out, "You should of locked the door you prat. This sight is extremely _unneeded_"

Arthur blinked. Sophia sat there speechless.

"Uuhhh... What were you guys expecting me to react?"

"Probably a scream," Sophia said quietly, bringing her knees towards her chest.

"To faint" was Arthur's snobby reply.

I rolled my eyes. "Yeah, you would so love that"

"Umm... I'm sorry to interrupt this conversation, but please get out!"

Taken aback from Sophia's sudden order, I stumbled out of Arthur's room, while Arthur followed me and slammed the door in my face. Well, so much for friendly... Picking myself up, I strolled toward my mothers room (down at the very end of the corridor, next to Gaius's room), hoping she would sacrifice her time and use it on comforting me for now.

Before I could even touch the doorknob, I heard the sound of an argument down in Arthur's room. Fighting the urge to eavesdrop, I was about to turn the doorknob. Suddenly, the sound of a loud slap came from Arthur's room, the sound of high heels stomping out the door, down the stairs, out into the kitchen and the slamming of the front door echoed throughout the house.

Forgetting whatever I was suppose to do, I rushed towards Arthur's room and swung myself inside. Arthur was staring out the window, as still as a cold statue. I felt bad. I didn't know how to cheer him up. Was Sophia that important to him? Was she even worth his sadness?

"Is she worth your love and sadness?" I mumbled out loud, "Is she that important?"

He didn't respond, just sat there, staring longingly at the dark night sky. I felt useless, pathetic, when I could prove that I can be better than Sophia, I ended up being the worst! Why did interrupt them?! I acted like I was the only one for Arthur. I was being selfish, arrogant and possessive! Never have I encountered these strong emotions.

Moving beside Arthur, I watched as he tried his hardest to keep back his tears. I could say anything, no, I wouldn't say anything, fearing that I might end up speaking insensitively. So, I waited for Arthur to pour his heart out.

In the end. He did.

"You probably think I'm stupid, but I still love Sophia with all my heart. I don't even know why, it's like I was enchanted. Hahaha, me, Arthur bloody _Pendragon _lost his heart to some slutty girl, and now in heartbreak!"

"..."

"My father's right. I don't deserve kindness and love. Not after what I did..."

"What you did?"

"Urgh, sorry but this isn't the time. I'm tired, pissed off, and depressed. Just leave me alone please!"

Without saying a word, I silently walked away and shut the door quietly behind me. I felt sick, dizzy and weird, emotions swirl inside me. Pain for being rejected by Arthur. Sadness, feeling his depressed soul join with mine. Anger at Sophia, for taking his heart first. Possessive and jealous because I never actually won his heart in the first place.

I took a deep breath and returned to my room, switched of the lights and fell face first onto the bed. I even cried myself to sleep...

* * *

'Beep! Beep! Bep, bep, beep!'

"Aargh! I'm tired!" I groaned, pushing myself up, slamming the digital alarm off, "Mmmm... 7:30.... still got half an hour left..."

Hesitating, I rolled out of the lovely warm covers of the bed and into the chilly atmosphere. I pulled out the woolly dark green robe from inside the closet and slipped it on, loving the soft texture and the warmth. I trudged towards the bathroom to brush my teeth and wash my face.

When I entered, the towels and soap where scattered across the grey tiled bathroom floor, shaving cream was spread across the sink like sour-cream and cups were broken, all over the floor.

"What happened here?"

I spun around and saw my mother's shocked expression. I told her it was like this when I first came in, but she insisted that I should clean it up before Uther might encounter this mess and fire the cleaning maid. I responded with a nod, and before you knew it, the room was clean again (all you really had to do was pick up the stuff all over the floor and wipe the shaving cream with the towel, and then shove the towel in the basket full of dirty clothes).

My mother then left me in peace, allowing me to do whatever I needed to do. Picking up the hard toothbrush, I squeezed out some redish pink toothpaste onto it. When I began brushing, I realized something. It was really hot! Like chilly hot! How did this get in here?!

I quickly spat out the toothpaste, poured cold water into my mouth greedily and began washing my mouth out urgently. As I did this, I sensed someone watching me, in amusement.

"Who's there?!" I called, putting forward my toothbrush, still covered in chilly toothpaste, "I've got a deadly weapon!"

"Oooo. I'm _so_ scared!!!"

"Valiant?!"

Valiant appeared from the bath tub, sliding the deep blue plastic covers to the side and stepped out (dry). I took two steps back and glared at him.

"What do you want?" I asked, grabbing onto the mop by the toilet, "Is it about the badminton war thing?! That starts when we're at school!"

"Hey, hey. Remember, _I_ am your master, _you_ are my lowly, pathetic slave"

He edged a bit closer, but my instincts got the better of me and I knocked him out with the mop I was holding onto. I watched him fall onto the floor like a leaf.

Now all gotta do is, slowly walk towards the door and lock it...

I slammed the door shut, locking it right afterwards. Putting my ear against the firm wood of the door, I heard Valiant groan and curse, along with a loud BAM out the window. Sighing in relief, I trudge back to my room. 7:40, ten minutes past...

I got dressed, brushed my teeth without being attacked, had breakfast and said good bye to mother.

When I reached the school, there was a cold feeling beside me as I walked, staring at it, I knew what the problem was. Where was Arthur?

* * *

**The AAL Clubroom...**

"Guinevere! Hand me the paper"

I walked into the indoor Arts and Literature classroom with the beginning of the draft in my hands. Mr Swadling was dotting down something while Gwen was mumbling something about a 'fag'.

"Oh, good morning Merlin," greeted Gwen as she smacked Mr Swadling's head, "Your a teacher, you should at least greet Merlin" she hissed.

He groan in annoyance. "Morning Emrys"

I laughed, and greeted him back. Placing the draft on the table at the far corner of the room, I went up to Gwen and asked where Morgana was.

"Where's Morgana?"

"Oh, with Brendan, she's been rather obsessed lately," Gwen replied in a irritated tone, "Can't see what she sees in him"

"Oh... Neither can I, but she seems to be trying very hard to get his attention"

"Yeah, but he's a teacher, she'll get in trouble for it"

"Students these days..." sighed Mr Swadling, putting the paper away under the table and took a sip of coffee that was on the table, "Don't understand their tastes anymore, why choose an old man when you got heaps of good lookin' young ones?"

Gwen shrugged. "Probably Morgana's a little different from the rest"

"Well, that can't be helped then," he muttered, "The bell's about to go in 5 minutes, can I trust you to not trash the room?"

We nodded as Mr Swadling exited the room.

"So have you and Arthur have any progress?"

"Umm... it's been rather troublesome..." I replied, suddenly I realized, "Wait! How did you know?!?!"

Gwen cracked up laughing at my slow reaction. "Let's just say you were staring at him a lot, AND not mention you disappeared with Arthur yesterday, back in the drama room"

I stood there blank, not sure what to say...

"Oh, don't worry I won't tell anyone, besides Morgana," she promised, crossing her fingers, "Unless you _want_ me to tell the world..."

"What? What?! NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!!! I'd rather die in a pit hole!!!!"

"Hahahaha, seriously, it can't be _that_ bad! I bet Arthur likes you too!"

"Yeah... After sleeping with the same chick that dumped him... That jackass..."

"HE SLEPT WITH _SOPHIA_???!!!"

I nodded sadly. "Barged into his room in the middle of the night. Couldn't sleep. And came face to face with this pretty lady... Nice redish blond hair and pale skin..."

"That's Sophia... Oh, you poor boy..." Gwen said sympathetically, giving me a light hug, "We'll get that witch! Trust me we will!"

_But will __**Arthur**__ let us...?_

* * *

First period, Art. My favourite subject. Yet, why does Valiant have to be in it?! I looked around for someone to communicate with, so I wouldn't seem like a complete loner. Unfortunately, nobody bothered, they all had someone to talk to. Morgana and Gwen both have Music as an elective at the moment, so I have been left behind to defend for myself...

"Hey! Slave, what are you doing over there?! Your meant to licking my shoes!" Valiant shouted smugly while I shrunk myself down my chair, "You lost the match! And like _you,_ yourself said, loser becomes slave!"

I sighed, I would of asked for a rematch, but after how Valiant and Nimueh smashed us, well, I wouldn't say I would _want_ to try digging a grave again. So, I stood up and trudged towards Valiant, who was smirking widely, along with his friends.

"Well, well, what do we have here?" asked a short boy with chocolate brown hair and blond steaks, "This weak thing is your slave?"

I glared at him, but said nothing, didn't want to be in more trouble than I already am. Valiant nudged him on the ribs and whispered something into his ear, making him laugh in hysterics. For some reason, this gave me shivers down my spine.

"Hey, boy. I will be the first to borrow _you _then"

_Borrow me? _Now I'm confused, the way emphasised 'you' was a bit, how do I put this... Umm... Wrong and disturbing, especially from the look in his eye.

"Lunch time. Come exactly on 1:30, otherwise..."

I nodded quickly, gulping at the same time. I didn't like the sound of this. Not one bit... But right now the problem is... _Will I be able to survive this lesson at all?!  
______________________________________________________

**I thank fire dragonheart, Vortex Rivers, cocobeforechanel, strawberry-sunset194, Catindahat and emiliexox for the recent reviews. :)**


	7. Paper Memories

**Paper Memories**

Sitting amongst Valiant's friends wasn't as near as pleasant as sitting by myself like a loner, and considering the dirty looks his friends kept giving me, I really wanted to disappear or become invisible. Unfortunately though, a boy with dyed silver hair decided to tease me and flick white paint and red paint all over me with his paint brush. As he did that, the rest just laughed and joined in.

"Hey, you not gonna fight back, you fag?" the silver haired boy laughed as I sat there not even defending myself.

_It's not worth it, it's not worth it_, I kept chanting in my head, but all the bullying started to get on my nerves. Really get on my nerves. I wanted to scream and punch them in the face and yell out 'LEAVE ME ALONE!', but knowing them, they probably do something worse, far worse...

Seeing that I wasn't going to respond, they stopped flicking paint at me and began to actually do their work. I stared blankly at the white sheet of paper that now had dots or blobs of red and white paint splattered all over it. Valiant obviously wasn't going to make my life any easier, as he saw the blobs of paint and smudged them with his tainted paint brush. Now, my pure, clean, white sheet of paper was contaminated with dung browns, raven blacks, and storm greys, not the colours of the rainbow really...

The art teacher came by our table and took one look at my art work and shook his head in disappointment, while smiling at the other students' masterpieces. Ever since I was little, the one thing that frightened me (besides stage fright) was disappointment, the feeling that I couldn't accomplish something that another was expecting. That is probably the reason why I grew up slightly more reserved and quiet than the other children in my old school and Peterson High.

_**Flashback...**_

_"Merlin! Merlin! Hurry up, last one to the giant boulder is a rotten egg!" shouted 7 year old Will as he sprinted up the steep hill, "Jeez come on Merlin!"_

_I tried my best to keep up, but ended up stumbling over a small pebble like rock that was sticking out of the grassy ground. I could see Will rolling his eyes in utter annoyance, but never the less he run back up to me and help me up, murmuring soft words into my ear, calming me down._

_"Come on Merlin, we'll get to the boulder together then," he smiled as he looped one arm over my shoulder, keeping me balanced, "But to be honest I was hoping you were at least stronger than you were last year..."_

_The feeling of guilt and irritation formed and flowed into my veins. Irritation of myself for not improving and guilt because Will was looking forward to having a race with me for once. The only thing I could do was smile apologetically and trudge up the hill, towards the large boulder._

_When we reached the top of the hill, Will climbed up the boulder to get a better view of the landscape in front of him. I climbed on after him, but he had to pull me up. Since I didn't want miss such a good view of Ireland, I gazed into my surroundings._

_High mountain tops rose high into the sky, snow blankets stretched across them, tall pine trees lined up along a long, flowing river at the bottom, lush green grass spread along the unused land on the other side of the river (where we are sitting) and a small town gathered together huddled up at the very left side of the river, roads were built towards the forests behind me and Will, for trades and marketing purposes._

_"Do you believe in destiny?" Will asked out of nowhere._

_I couldn't respond, because I have never thought about this destiny thing. I shook my head, waiting for Will to object and give me a full lecture about believing and having faith in yourself. Oddly enough, he remained quiet, staring at the view as if he were in a distant far away land..._

_"Do you?"_

_"I don't know, I only heard it from mother, that destiny is like history repeating itself, but better," Will answered maturely, still staring into space, "Like when two people find eath other and get married, they say it is destiny that brought them together..."_

_"Sounds rather romantic..." I whispered, not totally sure what to say._

_"I reckon your gonna fall for that blond kid that visited our school! What was his name again? Umm.. Archie? No, Artie? Ar- Arthur! That's right Arthur that blond kid in our class!"_

"HEY! WAKE UP!"

I snapped out of the memory, and much to my dismay, came face to face with the ugliest face I would ever encounter... Valiant's...

"What?" I snapped as Valiant pointed behind me, "Oh..."

The art teacher stood behind me with his arms crossed. Valiant's friends tried to suppress the urge to laugh at me while Valiant smirked and told the teacher that I was of day-dreaming about a certain _someone_. I sat there motionless, cursing in my head over and over.

"Although you may be new in this class, I do expect you to be on your best behaviour, and respect your peers and your teachers!" he told me in a low, angry voice, "I will not tolerate annoying students that cannot look after themselves, let alone respect others"

"Yes sir..."

"That's Mr Whittle, thank you very much!"

"Yes Mr Whittle..."

With a smile, Mr Whittle left me alone again with the annoying pests. Fortunately, they decided the teasing was enough for one lesson and returned to whatever they were doing before. So, I just sat there looking for some sort of inspiration for a good masterpiece, but nothing came up. Nothing at all.

So in my spare time, I pulled out my favourite book, _The Gathering_ and began to read it slowly, letting everything sink in. _The Gathering _was about a boy who was constantly moving from one place to another with his mother, then one day his mother decided to live in this place called Cheshunt for the time being and from there supernatural things have began to happen to him (well, his life really) and pieces of the puzzle began to fall together, linking everything. It shot back and forth in time, as he finds out the darkest secrets that were hidden from him.

As I read through it, I noticed from the corner of my eye that Valiant was reading over my shoulder and I immediately slammed my book shut. He sneered and turned away, returning to his work. I sighed in annoyance, and tucked my book away into my school bag.

"Let's have a competition," suggested Mr. Whittle out of nowhere, "Whoever builds the tallest tower that reaches the ceiling from the floor and must be able to make it hold onto a A4 sized textbook for at least 5 minutes, gets a reward! 400g of rich and fine chocolate"

The class started bickering, 'Who was gonna win the prize?' The question was a good one, who was going to win it? Considering the fact that we have the school's most notorious bully, who will most likely steal it off a student or threaten him/her to give him the chocolate.

Mr Whittle continued when the class became silent. "You will have to work with your table members, and you must, and I repeat _must_ work together!"

Valiant's friends moaned in frustration, obviously not pleased with the fact that they had to work with someone like me. To be honest, I don't really wanna work with them either... Valiant smirked, whispering something into the red-heads ear. The red-head nodded in agreement and gave him a thumb up.

"Right! Here are the things that are only available for you to use," Mr Whittle announced, placing a pile of extremely thin paper and a large roll of masking tape onto the table, "This is all you can use!"

The whole class gaped at what they have and paled. 'How are they going to making strong and tall enough to hold onto a large textbook?'

"You got to be kidding!" a student choked out, "This is impossible..."

"Impossible? Nothing is impossible, unless you put your mind to it," Mr Whittle stated, walking towards his desk and pulled out a large poster of a magnificent, well made paper bridge carrying a thick book, "Shockingly, this is actually made by Arthur Pendragon"

I nearly dropped everything when I heard that. I mean _Arthur_? The sporty Arthur? Wow, I didn't know that... From the corner of my eye, I noticed Valiant's skin pale and I prevented myself from laughing out loud. Now that I mention Arthur and paper, I do remember a boy back then who was pretty talented...

_**Flashback...**_

_I stumbled into the dusty, old tree house with Will and looked out for unwanted strangers. Will helped me inside, but when we were inside I noticed a pretty blond boy crouching in the corner of the tree house, his knees against his chest. He was sobbing silently, I saw tears fall down from his pale cheeks and onto the dry wooden floor._

_"Are you alright?"_

_He looked up, and met my gaze. Those blue eyes, sky blue. Being age 7, I knew I couldn't fall in love with someone, my mother had told me that and I believed her. But, why does this boy make my heart pound? Is this what it feels to love? No. I don't think so... But still..._

_Moving away, I helped him up and held onto his hand until we reached Will on the other side of the tree house. Will smiled in welcome and put out his hand while the boy took it and shook it. Will laughed at his shyness and modesty while the boy blinked clueless at him. _

_"What's your name?" Will asked after he calmed down a bit, "I'm William, but call me Will"_

_The boy hesitated, seemed like he didn't really trust us yet. "A-Arthur. Just Arthur"_

_I gave him a soft smile and introduced myself as well. "I'm Merlin; you can hang out with us if you want. If you got any problems, you can come to me and you can talk your heart out"_

_Will nodded in agreement. "Trust me. He's good at listening."_

_Arthur gave me a look, as if he was judging me and it made me rather self-conscience. After analysing me, he finally nodded and returned to listening to Will. I felt rather cold after his blue gaze left me, and it also didn't feel quite normal..._

_"Well, tell us something about yourself"_

_"My father hates me. He doesn't care if I exist. He big, fat bullshit!" Arthur murmured angrily that it frightened, "I wish I wasn't born"_

_What he said was very intense, I nearly stopped breathing. Can a child dislike their father that much? I noticed Will's blank expression and realised this must be a serious topic. Arthur eyes widened and quickly covered his mouth, sealing everything he said back inside. What he said was probably because of impulse._

_"Who is your father?"_

_Shaking his head, Arthur looked away and apologized for wasting our time and climbed out of the tree house. Will and I didn't stop him for the same reasons, this problem was Arthur's problem, and we got nothing to do with it... Even if he is our friend... Will looked devastated and mumbled something about a stupid old man._

_"Why are we here again?" he asked._

_"To finish that paper castle, we made," I replied, searching around for the paper castle, "It should be here somewhere"_

_"You think that kid Arthur took it?" _

_"I doubt it, it's too big for him to hide"_

_"I guess that's true..."_

_I rolled my eyes, and rummaged through the piles and piles of boxes by the glassless windows and found a large castle made of fragile, white paper. Taking it out carefully, I placed it in front of me and Will, I notice the name Arthur written on the left side. He had finished it for us, and it was very well done. I admired his work and then laid it on the small table by the door. _

_"You think we should keep it? Or wreck it like the rest?" Will asked, thinking deeply, "I reckon it would be a waste if we did"_

_I agreed with him, but paper doesn't last long, and we didn't bring a camera with us. "It'll rot eventually, so why don't we draw it?"_

_"That's a good idea" _

_With that, we found our sketchbooks and stroke by stroke and shade by shade, we sketched down the castle into our books. Will took a peek at mine and smiled in admiration while I blush in embarrassment and complimented his. We drew until the sun was about to set, and the one thing on my mind was who that blond boy really was and what his actual personality was like._

_When Will and I left the tree house and parted ways, I saw Arthur leaning against the wall of my house, with his eyes drilling right through me. I felt my hand begin sweating and my cheeks begin flushing._

_"Hey, sorry about what happened back then," he said softly._

_"It's alright," I managed to say, "Why are you at my house?"_

_"Father. Apparently, our fathers are friends. Staying out here so I wouldn't interrupt the meeting or conversation," Arthur explained, staring at my house, "Your father seems nice"_

_"Uh-huh, he is. But he can be absorbed in his work though"_

_"You use rather smart words don't you?"_

_I blushed at the comment. "Is that meant to be a compliment or insult?"_

_Arthur shrugged and replied, "Up to you really"_

_"Thank you for finishing the castle for us. That was very kind of you"_

_"No problem, is was easy"_

Snapping out of the memory of 'Arthur' I looked around I noticed everyone was already started with their paper sculptures while Valiant and his group were just chatting about girls...

I was about to ask them to help me start, but I realised that was a pretty stupid idea since they are not the most cooperative people in this planet... So for the rest of the time, I waited for the bell to ring. I couldn't draw or talk, otherwise Valiant would torment me further.

20 minutes later...

_RIIIINNNGGG!_

I rushed out of the room as quickly as I can, as far away from Valiant as I can, but much to my dismay, I ended up crashing into someone's hard, flat torso. Arthur. It just had to be Arthur... He had just came out of wood work and was heading towards Valiant and his mates. Remembering the sculpture in the poster and my past memories of the blond boy that had Arthur's name and looked a lot like him, I gather up the courage and said quietly:

_"Are you the boy who I met in the tree house?"_

And with that, Arthur froze.


	8. Letters and Love Stories

**Letters and Love stories**

_"Are you the boy I met in the tree house?"_

When Arthur froze on the question, I began to regret asking it. I took three steps back just in case he strikes out at me. Valiant raised his eyebrow and looked at me then at Arthur. I realised many of the students began to gulp and back away like I did, but stayed because of curiosity.

"What are you talking about? I don't recall meeting someone like _you_!" Arthur spat out, his back still facing me, "Probably in my worst nightmares though"

What? What's happening? Why did he spit out the 'you' bit? I thought he liked me... Was I wrong? I stood very still, frightened that if I moved anymore, he might attack me or hurt me even more. I noticed Valiant's smirk stretching across his face while Arthur was still not facing me as if he didn't actually want to tell me this. So, the one thing that popped into my mind is 'this must be Valiant's idea...' and never had I felt rage like I did at the moment.

The other students probably sensed my anger and they all walked or ran away just in case I start to blow up like an atomic bomb. Valiant gave Arthur a nod and allowed him to turn around, but the expression I saw wasn't what I was expecting. He was half grinning and smirking, he seemed to be enjoying himself and looked to be at the verge of laughing. This of course hurt me deeply, everything he said last night, was it a joke like the rest? I couldn't help myself anymore, and took a step forward.

SLAP!

The slap could be heard from a mile away. The other students gasped and started causing a huge commotion as Arthur hissed at the pain of the hit. Oddly enough, I didn't feel guilty about it, actually, I felt quite good and refreshed too.

"You know I got the point, that you don't remember me but do you have to have a bloody smirk like your so happy that I'm getting hurt? Was everything you said a fucken joke to you? How would you like it if I did that to you?" I bellowed dangerously, "You're going to regret playing around with me"

"Everything I said? What on earth have I said to you? And playing around with someone as ugly as you... Eww... Don't even think about flattering yourself! You are nothing compared to Sophia! And yes, I am happy that you're breaking down! Now you can stop staring at me with that creepy stare!" Arthur shot back, glaring at me with all his might.

There was silence afterwards, I had nothing else to say, though I was glad I got everything out, I couldn't but to feel a pang of pain strike my chest and it hurt. So, he thought of me as ugly and was nothing compared to Sophia, but the thing that hurt me most was probably that he noticed before I could say anything, and that he was most happy and conscious about hurting me... I felt like crying so bad...

"Nothing to say now, eh?" he pushed as I felt myself continue to rip apart, "you better take back that slap you gave me, she is the only one who can do that"

Now I was pissed off. Sophia this, Sophia that! So I yelled, "SHUT UP! SHUT UP! FOR FUCKEN SAKES, I GET IT ALREADY!"

"THEN APOLOGIZE!" Arthur yelled back, moving closer so he could hear me say sorry. Man, I wanted to punch him right now.

"Che, no. You deserve the slap. So pick up your shattered manhood and deal with it"

"You calling me a chick?"

"Well, at the moment, the girls are way stronger than you are. So, in other words, you are neither man nor woman"

"Why you..."

Noticing Arthur's angry eyes, I darted away and made a run for it. I passed the tall, brick walls of the classrooms and ran through the gates of the outdoor AAL clubroom. Panting heavily, I saw Morgana and Gwen getting up in a hurry and quickly came up to me with concerned faces.

"Oh my goodness! What happened to you?" Gwen asked loudly in worry, "Is Valiant picking on you?"

I shook my head in response while Gwen and Morgana helped me reach the log seats. I took three deep breaths to calm me down, the two girl sat there waiting for an explanation and Morgana looked like she had a hint who it was.

"It's Arthur isn't it?" Morgana mumbled, the question sounded more like a statement, "If he hurts you again or intimidates you anymore, I will personally kick his ass so hard that he will never live to forget it!"

"Morgan, you know that is unreasonable, besides, we haven't the whole story from Merlin yet, so don't jump into conclusions so easily," Gwen reasoned, then turned back to me, "So who was it and what happened?"

I told them exactly what happened after Art class, there were no exaggerated bits. Gwen's eyes widened while Morgana's eyes was clouded with anger and annoyance at Arthur. I looked down to the ground while Morgana and Gwen glanced at each other in concern, and exchanged a nod.

"I'll teach him to mess with our delicate Merlin!" Morgana hissed venomously, cracking her knuckles, "Let's go Gwen!"

Gwen agreed and followed Morgana out the gates, but I stopped them just in time. "I appreciate the fact that you care for me and everything, but that doesn't necessarily mean you guys can go off to tell someone stronger than you off and probably get hurt in the progress!" I reasoned, staring at both of them intensely, "But thank you though"

Gwen's expression softened. "I guess you're right, peace and harmony is what we are trying to create in this school, not violence and chaos"

Sighing, Morgana calmed herself down and came over to me, bent down to my sitting level and with a hard look, she asked, "Are you sure about this?"

Gwen gave me the same expression, but immediately softened when I responded with a nod and smiled lightly. Morgana sighed again and mumbled something about 'ignorant men like Arthur' while she stroked the wooden table surface simultaneously.

"Have you started the book yet?" Gwen asked, changing the subject and tense atmosphere, "Sorry if I sounded pushy, but we really need to finish this..."

"I've started, but the drafts weren't really good enough, maybe Morgana might be able to lend me some of her books to inspire me," I replied, glancing at a silent Morgana in wonder, "Is that alright with you?"

Snapping out of her dream world, Morgana jumped up in surprise, "Of course, of course, do whatever you want. Just don't wreck my books, took me years to collect so many of them, and if you do wreck them, well, let's just say your life won't me as peaceful as it is now... Maybe worse"

I gulped and nodded slowly. "So where are they at the moment?"

"Some may be in the AAL indoor clubroom, or in the library somewhere in the fiction section, on the right where all the fantasy and history stories are. If you can't find any, some to me and I'll help you out. If I can't help you, well, you gotta find some other book to inspire you then"

"OK"

"Oh! By the way, if you want romance, drama, or slice of life stories, some of them are in the gym rooms right now, the library ran out of room and are currently trying to fit more books at the moment. Oh, and the gym room stinks of boys sweat! So beware!" Gwen informed loudly.

"OK, thanks"

"No problem," they said in unison.

With that, I left and set off searching for the gym room. Skimming past the crowds of people lining up at the canteen, I jogged through the long concrete passage way, towards the smelly gym room.

The gym room was indeed ridiculously foul in scent, but its appearance was rather clear and clean. Metal bars placed in the centre of the room, probably for the people who want to do chin ups, those running machines (which I don't know the name of) lined up on the left side of the spacious room, weights were carefully stacked up on the metal shelves on the far right side of the room where a couple of other gym things were placed. The floor was made of tiles and felt cool and smooth against the barefooted, the walls were painted snow white and the long lights were on full charge, glowing brightly.

I stepped inside without permission and scanned the surroundings, searching for a box filled piles of books. Fortunately, my eyes targeted a medium sized box, piled up with thick books in the corner of the room. Walking towards it, I picked up a couple of books that were lying on the floor and placed them gently into the box.

Rummaging into the box, I spotted a book I was very interested in, well, it wasn't really a book, more like a short narrative some random person wrote for the fun of it and the initials _A.P_ was marked on it at the top right hand corner of the page. I carefully pulled it out of the box and scanned through it; it was at least 6 pages long, written in cursive, which was at least font size 12 and was covered in crosses and careless mistakes.

So with my inspiration chosen, I set off to next period.

**4 o'clock, Afternoon, Pendragon's House.**

Home. Not necessarily called _my_ home, more like Arthur's, Uther's and Gaius's. Not mine or mother's. Wondering why I brought this up? Well, let's just say Arthur was in a terribly grumpy mood and decided this was his chance to pick on me. Nice Arthur... che, yeah right! He was wonderful when I first met him, now; he's snobby jackass/prat that is tremendously spoiled by his bloody rich father!

Arthur had been either ignoring me the whole time at school and pissing me off at home. I was in the middle of violently breaking his jaw and being patient. Opposites attract? Highly unlikely. Unless they are both considerate and mature, unlike that arrogant prat...

"_Merlin_, your so slow! Where's my cup of coffee?"

Calming myself down, I walked into Arthur's room flawlessly, not tripping over any stuff that he left all over the floor. I looked up as I met his annoyed yet cool eyes and placed the coffee down on his draw, beside his bed and quietly left the room, breaking eye contact.

I let my eyes trail down onto Arthur's bed, where Sophia had slept that night and the night where everything changed. Well, not really everything, more like the Arthur I knew changed. I felt sparks flare up, as I sensed Arthur's eyes landing behind my back. I wonder if he still mad about the slap I gave him? Turning around I came face to face with a fiery glare.

"W-hat?"

"You still haven't apologized for that attack you sent me," Arthur grumbled, "So, I'm waiting. All you have to say is '_I'm sorry, Arthur_', oh, and maybe I'll reconsider making you beg in front of me next time you need to apologize to me"

"Excuse me? Since when did I - "

"Just say it"

"Hmph! Not a chance! Maybe in your dreams though!"

"In my dreams and in your nightmares"

I glared at Arthur and stomped out of the room, leaving him amused and as always, smug. Slamming the door shut, fell onto the soft, warm sheets of my bed and inhaled the scent of fresh lavender and felt the warm autumn sun caress my back. I felt my way under the sheets for the clipped up narrative I found at school.

Under my pillow, my hands brushed against thin, sharp, crackly paper. Pulling it out, I realised it was a small letter, written by Arthur...

_Merlin,_

_I got something to say to you, but please forgive me for my arrogant ways, it's just the way I am. I'm sorry. Come to the park a street away, Harrison Park. I'll be waiting on the silver bench, by the vending machine. Come on exactly 3 o'clock in the morning, please. _

_Yours sincerely, Arthur Pendragon._

Either I was going mad, or I was dreaming. What was Arthur going to do to me if I went? Is this a confession? Or is it a rejection? I don't understand why would someone who has been bullying you this whole time, ask you to meet up somewhere, especially on 3 o'clock in the morning? How long has this letter been under my pillow? Maybe Arthur put it there ages ago and I didn't go meet him. Maybe that's why he was so grumpy...

Sitting up, I tucked the letter into my pocket (I had already changed and taken a shower) and sat down beside the desk, letting the light shine across the clean, white paper that I was about to write on.

This was the beginning of my story... It will be based around me and my life, and I would express my deepest emotion in this one book. I decided the name would be named, _Letters and Love stories_.

I dotted down everything I could remember about today and made a simple yet complicated plot-line about a young gay boy and a heterosexual boy. The main character will force him and push himself to reach this other boy, who has absolutely no interest in him whatsoever. This was far better than the other random one without a plot.

I remembered a young woman on TV say, _'The greatest writers can make a boring ordinary life seem interesting and fun, just by using words_' and I was greatly inspired by that. Very inspired. That's the reason why I started writing in the first place.

Although I sensed that thins book may even be able to tell the future, I chose to ignore it and began writing, but there was one thing I didn't know... How my life might actually turn out to be exactly the same as the book...

_**I actually found that saying in a magazine and I figured that was a rather interesting opinion. Thank you for reviewing. I'm very grateful. :) **_


	9. Bittersweet Coffee and Sour Candy

**Bittersweet Coffee and Sour Candy, March 10th**

The bright morning sun shone brightly through the uncovered window and onto my face as I tried my hardest not to look into the blazing rays of sunlight. The light green, apple shaped alarm clock ticked away in a even beat. Groaning in mere annoyance, I got up and hugged my fluffy white pillow, I'm not really in the mood for an early wake up call.

"Damn that sun!" I cursed, blocking the sunlight with my hands and got off the bed, closing the curtains quickly.

I crawled onto the soft sheets of the bed and tried to fall back to sleep. After all, it was Saturday. Unfortunately, I was already wide awake and had no choice but to do something, otherwise my brain won't be able to handle the pressure of continuous thinking, which I tend to do too often.

Knock, knock, knock.

It appears that someone was knocking on my door in the melody of _Jingle bells_ and it wasn't even Christmas yet. Sighing, I trudged towards the door and tugged it open and replied to the person with a loud, annoyed mumble.

"What do you want?"

"Jeez, that's a great way to start off the morning," Arthur remarked, raising an eyebrow in sheer amusement.

I opened my eyes wider, but shut them quickly right afterwards, for that Arthur's blond hair seemed to be twice as bright as the bloody sun. He must have washed his hair this morning, blow dried it and everything...

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. It's bloody Saturday! I want to have a nice rest for once!" I grumbled, rubbing my eyes, "Without the sound of an annoying blond prat knocking on my door as if it was an instrument, and why on earth choose the song _Jingle bells_? It's not even Christmas yet"

"Oh come on, Mer-"

Before Arthur could reply or respond, I shut the door in his face and let out a low sigh. What's wrong with Arthur? Coming to my door so early on a Saturday morning, playing a Christmas song on my door and now he didn't even retort back at me for insulting him, nor did he punch the door to get my attention.

I found this a bit weird. Very odd. As much as I despise Arthur and like him at the same time, I found it weird how he changes personalities within seconds. First day, teddy bear. Second day, romantic. Third day, giant prat...

Behind the door, I could hear Arthur's muffled whines and complaints for him to enter or for me to let him enter.

"Merlin! Let me in!" Arthur's muffled voice cried out.

"What's the magic word?" I decided to tease him and chuckled, I could image Arthur thinking about the childish question, "Come on Arthur, you can do it"

"Pumpkin?"

I burst out laughing, who knew, Arthur Pendragon the greatest and feared amongst our school was acting adorable and kiddish. Arthur went silent, I guess he was embarrassed and decided to go silent so I could get the hint that he ain't trying in this stupid game anymore.

Unfortunately for him, the game only just started.

"No," I replied, suppressing an urge to laugh again, "Try again"

I heard a faint whine from the other side as I tip toed to the door and pressed my ear against the smooth, wooden door. I could hear Arthur's feet tapping on the floor and his head lightly hitting the door as if to say 'think brain, think!'

"Is this some long word which I have no idea about? Or is it some word that isn't in the dictionary yet?"

"Che, I'm not _that_ smart," I chuckled, adding a pinch of arrogance in my tone of voice, "Seriously Arthur, this is a child's question"  
"Shut up! I'm not as smart as a nerd like you" he retorted, "Besides, I'm sick of this game already. Now... Let. Me. In"

"Yeah, as if!" I remarked, "I still haven't changed yet!"

"You want some help?"

That one question sent a flaming blush in my cheeks. Dirty images poured into my mind like a landslide. I cursed inwardly and sensed Arthur's smug smirk from the other side of the door.

"In your dreams!" I yelled out, hugging myself in embarrassment.

"Funny, cause I do have dreams like that," Arthur confessed quietly, he probably thought I didn't hear him, and god he was wrong...

There was an awkward silence afterwards, and I could hear Arthur mumble something about an 'idiot' and then footsteps faded away. I guess he gave up already and decided he wouldn't be bothered to annoy me anymore.

I turned the cold doorknob slowly and took a peek outside my room. No-one so far. Cautiously I took a step outside and turned my head behind the door, making sure Arthur wasn't hiding behind the door ready to scare the shit out of me. Fortunately, he didn't pop out of nowhere. Heaving a relieved sigh, I made my way to the bathroom.

As I happily strolled down the hallway towards the bathroom, I hummed a cheerful tune of _Sunshine on a rainy day_, and to make things weird, it was literally raining outside and the sun was shining at the same time, but you gotta say, it was a beautiful scene to behold.

"Merlin, you're up earlier than usual"

I turned around and smiled. My mother was standing by the staircase, by the smooth black handrail. Rubbing her eyes tiredly and took a sip of her steaming coffee from the expensive flowery mug.

"Yeah, Arthur woke me up and I couldn't fall back to sleep," I replied sincerely, suddenly feeling rather hungry, "Do you think the kitchen maid can make me some breakfast while I'm doing my business?"

Hunith nodded; "Of course, that's her job isn't it?" she smiled warmly, retreating back down the stairs.

"Thanks momma!" I called out, while Hunith just gave me another bright smile and disappeared from my view.

**In the Kitchen...**

When I finished dressing and brushing my teeth and everything, I entered the sparkling kitchen where my mother was having a conversation with the kitchen maid. I scanned the room for the blond but he didn't appear anywhere. Where had he gone after that game of finding the magic word _'please'_?

"Ah, Merlin my boy," the kitchen maid greeted cheerfully, "I assume you wanted an interesting breakfast today?"

"Morning Rosette," I greeted with the same jolly manner, "Yes, as always you assume correct"

Rosette was a rather chubby, red cheeked woman, with thick, short, brownish red hair; her eyes were the same Central Australia dirt colour as her hair and were usually sparkling with good thoughts. Today she wore a cherry blossom pink dress and light bamboo green T-shirt, which actually looked quite good on her.

"You rather nice today, are you going out somewhere soon?"

Rosette blushed, making her already red cheeks twice as red. "Why thank you. Yes, I'm going to meet up with my fiancé, Robert. I want to make a good impression"

"Well, I reckon he'll be falling' for you in like seconds"

"Now, now. No need to flatter an old woman like me"

"Merlin, you shouldn't flirt with elder women, that's gross"

I shifted my eyes and noticed Arthur leaning against the wall with an empty plate with only crumbs visible. He took a glance at me and then back to his plate, rolling his eyes in the progess.

"If your that hungry, ask Rosette to make you something," he stated, walking up to me and placed the plate on the table gently, "Call me when you're done, I need to show you around town. By the way, it was father's idea, so don't go thinking weird things"

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say"

I felt bubbling anger and frustration rise in my veins. The last sentence was completely unneeded and not to mention insensitive! I watched Rosette place my plate of peanut butter and jam on toast in front of me, along with a mug of warm coffee coming right afterwards.

"Thank you"

"You're welcome"

As I scoffed down my breakfast along with my raging anger, my mother rose an eyebrow and looked at me funny. I tried to ignore the stare but failed miserable. Lifting my head hesitantly, I knew what she was gonna ask.

"What's wrong?"

I knew it. She sensed it like she always does. Ever since I was little my mother's intuition was strong and was never fooled by my reassuring smiles that masked my hurt and pain. Even now, I never thought of it as annoying, I was simply happy that I could tell someone my true feelings, and my mother was a good example.

"I-It's Arthur..." I admitted quietly, dropping my head, "We don't seem to get along"

"Arthur? When we first arrived here you two seemed like a newly wedded couple. Not saying that you two are one that is"

"Can we not talk about this right now... Just in case _he_ might barge in"

"I understand, but don't think you can run away from me about this as I am the type of mother who will track you down until you tell me your problems"

I laughed, "Yes momma"

She smiled gently and ruffled my hair like I was a 6 year old. "Momma! I'm 15 already!" I told her, laughing at the same time.

"Awww... You children grow up so quickly..." Hunith pouted, pulling her hand out of my hair, "Now, didn't Arthur say he was going to show you around town?"

I was about to take a sip of my coffee but my mother's words nearly made me drop the mug. I nearly forgot about Arthur's offer to show me around. I stood up, placed the mug on the table and went upstairs towards Arthur's room.

I knocked on the door, then waited for Arthur to reply in a whining voice, but there was no reply.

"Arthur?" I shouted from the other side, "Are you in there?"

Arthur's muffled voice faded in, "Are you ready? Cause if I come out and find you not ready I'm gonna kill you"

"Jeez, thanks for the reassuring words," I mumbled sarcastically, watching as the door open slowly.

Arthur was in a loose white Polo shirt and a long pair of blue jeans. His hair was messy and was sticking out in all directions and his eyes seemed tired. I looked down at myself; I was in a simple violet shirt with the words **Join the World** in full print on the front of my shirt and black skinny jeans that wrapped it around my legs firmly. My hair was combed forward, which made me look a bit like an Emo.

"Are you seriously going out like that?" I asked in disbelief.

"I can't be bothered to change alright. I was takin' a nap while you were having your breakfast," he replied in boredom and pushed past me, "You comin' or not?"

I shrugged and followed Arthur outside.

As we strolled down through the town, Arthur pointed to all the monuments that was considered 'important' or historical. For example, the tall brick church that stood in the middle of a large oval full of lush grass and flowers, they call the church Saint Margaret Catholic Church, and was a popular place to visit for prayers.

"You seem to be enjoying yourself," I said, staring at the large castle that was in front of us, "Are we allowed entering the castle?"

"No. The only people allowed inside are my father and the church leaders," Arthur replied, "They say anyone besides them will be cursed by the long lost magic"

"Magic? I thought magic wasn't real" I faced him with an expression of shock.

"Yeah, there use to be a powerful sorcerer that lived here, under the King's orders"

I returned my gaze to the castle. We lived on the very top of the forest, where we could see the our magnificent surroundings. Healthy green pine trees covered the ground around us, all the way towards the snowy mountains, the castle (Camelot Castle) stood in the centre, also on a large hill and meadows were dotted in certain areas. You could hardly see the ground to be honest.

"The view is amazing"

"I gotta say, I agree with you"

I smiled inwardly and suddenly sneezed.

"Whoa, you alright there? You must be cold, being in such a high place"

Arthur's soft concerned words almost warmed me up, but unfortunately a chilly wind just had to blow across my face, making me clatter my teeth. So, I responded his question by a simple nod on the head.

"You want a coffee? I noticed you didn't finish yours before," he offered generously, standing up ready to go.

"T-Thanks"

"No problem"

As I watched Arthur go do his heroic deed, I wondered what it was like if we lived inside Camelot castle, maybe it would be cold like right now. Staring out into the horizon, my eyes travelled with two sparrows that were twisting and turning in the air, riding the wind. I wished I was a bird.

Hot steam patted my cheek; I looked up and saw Arthur's panting face. I thanked him for getting the coffee for me and took a small glance at him as he sat down and popped some small yellow candy into his mouth.

I sensed his boredom and tension, as he continuously popped more candy into his mouth. I took a small sip of the coffee. Bittersweet. Kinda reminds me of Arthur. I glanced at him again, until he responded and pulled out his hand and gave me some yellow candy.

It was sour. Very sour. The taste in my mouth nearly made me cry.

Arthur just laughed, pulled me down next to him and drank some of my coffee without my permission. I glared at him, then I realized... An indirect kiss...

As if he read my mind, he quickly stood up and left and didn't even wait for me to catch up. So, I trudged back home feeling depressed and lonely, like I always would when he leaves me behind.

_Arthur is the bittersweet coffee against my tastebuds and the sour candy that makes me cry..._


	10. Mysteries and Wonders

**Mysteries and Wonders, March 11th**

Sunday afternoon. The sky was light grey, the sun was missing but its rays flashed across from beneath the grey sky, making the environment glow. I sat under the giant chestnut tree that was facing the magnificent castle over head. Why weren't we allowed inside? Surely it was strong enough to hold tourists.

The weather forecast on my laptop said it was going to be raining near the evening and it would be at least less than 19 degrees. I wondered where Arthur was, ever since yesterday he had disappeared and didn't come back till late 12 o'clock at midnight.

I spotted two people walking with an adorable, white Labrador with one rainbow umbrella sheltering both of them.

"Hey look its Merlin!"

Just when I was about to look away, the tall dark haired figure yelled out my name and directed the other person's dark eyes towards me. To my relief it wasn't Valiant or Nimueh, it was Morgana and Gwen. I lifted my arm and waved, plastering on a happy smile on my face.

They let go of the small Labrador and followed the pup towards me. The pup practically sprinted to me, its tongue hanging out as it panted and short, stubby legs stretching apart for more stride.

"Good afternoon," Gwen greeted when she reached me, picking up the pup, telling it to be quiet as it yapped wanting to return to ground level.

"Afternoon Merlin, oh will you shut up Artie!" Morgana commanded to 'Artie' and returned her gaze to me, "I see you're enjoying yourself, sitting there alone staring at the cloudy sky," she said sarcastically.

"Yeah... I was day-dreamin' for a bit, that's all," I replied, chuckling as Artie whined, "Artie? That's an interesting name"

"Hahaha, yes, I agree," Gwen laughed, while Morgana just rolled her eyes, "He was named after Arthur. We got him a few months ago"

I reached out my hand and rubbed Artie's soft head affectionately while he was trying to lick my palms. I stared at Artie as Morgana took him from Gwen's arms and put her finger to her lips, telling him to be quiet, but he rebelled and nipped her. Gwen and I laughed while Morgana started to complain about how Artie wasn't trained properly.

Accidently, I glanced at the pup's eyes. Blue. His eyes were blue, just like Arthur's and they also shimmered with the pools of intelligence and confidence which Arthur also reflected.

"Is there a reason why you named him Artie?"

The question managed to be answered with an abrupt pause and tense silence. Morgana's eyes yet again flared with depression and sadness, Gwen began fidgeting with her fingers and heck, Artie even muted.

"Is something wrong?"

Morgana was the first to return to reality and spoke up, "Arthur was the one who bought Artie, he was the one who promised us that he'll stay with us until we died, he was one who comforted us when we gave up hope for the school," she whispered, "Why? Why did he leave us?"

At this point, Morgana was about to break down into tears, tears that matched the cold, dripping rain that began falling from the ever grey skies above. I watched silently as she shivered when a chilly gust of wind blew by spraying cool water under her umbrella.

Gwen invited me underneath the rainbow umbrella, but I declined and stood up, ready to return home. That is, if Arthur wasn't there...

"You can come over to our house," Gwen offered again, "I bet your freezing"

I couldn't protest to that, I was freezing my ass off at the moment. Joining their group, I followed the girls through Duncan Street (which wasn't very far away from the park) and stopped at an ordinary brick house covered in vines and vegetation. I could already guess who does the gardening.

"Guess who did the gardening!" Gwen whispered into my ear, "Looking at this house, you can already guess who did it"

I nodded in agreement and took a peek at Morgana, making sure she wasn't listening. Artie barked as two more Labrador puppies scuttled towards us when we entered the gates and into the house.

One was jet black with a shining coat and the other was golden brown with shining green eyes which was rather unusual for a dog. They both had a loose collar around their necks. The black Labrador's name was Pearl and the golden one was named Fearless.

Letting Artie go, he ran towards his friends and began to yap at them.

"Well, Artie certainly has Arthur's major attitude," I remarked, "Pearl is like me being bossed around by Arthur and Fearless is like Morgana trying to stop the fighting. All we need now is a Gwen"

Morgana laughed and Gwen blushed in embarrassment. Leading me inside, Morgana ushered me towards the lounge room and told me to make myself at home while she went to get me something to eat.

The lounge room was rather large; pot plants placed in the corners of the room, long wooden shelves nailed against the smooth cream walls, the soft sofas we were sitting on lay gently in front of a large rectangular window with a light shade of red curtains behind us, the flat screen TV in front of us, and a small purple rug placed on the golden brown wooden floor with a small basket placed at the edge of the rug in the corners of the sofa.

There was a miniature picture frame with a photo of Gwen and Mr. Swadling in the park playing tag. Gwen must have noticed me staring at the photograph and snatched it out of my view.

"You guys look cute together"

My comment sent Gwen's cheeks flaming red. I chuckled inwardly as she began mumbling something about a 'brother'.

"Brother?"

"Mr. Swadling is my brother for goodness sakes!"

I blinked. Was she joking with me? They look nothing alike!

"Really?"

"Yep, he's my step brother"

"Oh! So that explains the reason why you two look so different from each other"

Gwen nodded as her flaming blush began to fade away. I wondered if he lived in the house with the girls. No, probably not, but then again life never stops surprising you. After all, we are life's game.

"Does he live here?" I couldn't help but ask, "It doesn't look it he does though"

"That's because he doesn't," Gwen said with a broad smile, "He lives next door"

There, the surprise just popped up. "That must be convenient having a teacher as a brother; you'll have more help than other in the school"

"Yeah, I guess so"

We immediately turn our attention to Morgana as she came into the room with a tray with soft, warm blueberry muffins freshly naked out of the oven. The aroma filled the room as it was placed down in between me and Gwen.

"Oh dear... Here come the pups!" Morgana warned, quickly pulling out a baby bottle of warm milk and crawled onto the floor pretending to mimic one of the pups, laughing at the same time as one by one the pups got their own share of milk.

The soft texture of the muffin brushed against the walls of my mouth, the sweet syrupy taste of blueberries and the warmth filled my whole body as I swallowed. I have never tasted a muffin as good as this one.

"Is it good?" Morgana asked, standing up as the pups returned to their game, "I actually managed to cook these for once, _and_ without burning them at the same time!"

Gwen laughed as she carefully tried to not drop any crumbs onto the floor. Joining in, Morgana sat down on the single sofa and waited for us to finish. I scoffed down the last bite and complimented Morgana's cooking skills while Gwen nodded in agreement and said that her best friend improved a lot.

"OK. To more serious business," Morgana brought up, "And yes Merlin, it's about you-know-who"

I desperately wanted to heave a loud heavy sigh of annoyance but Gwen's stare stopped me dramatically and I obediently waited for her to begin.

"Do you like him?"

Her blunt, straight-forward question shocked me; I had never thought the day when I had to confess would be so soon. Then again, this was Morgana and Gwen, they won't tell him, right?

"I guess so," was my pathetic answer, but what else could I say? Although Lance and Gwen both guessed that I liked him, but I never ended up confessing.

"I guess so? What kind of answer is that?" Morgana pushed, forcing me to answer bluntly and honestly, "Although we know your answer, but we wanna hear it come out of your mouth, so we can be sure"

Gwen gave me a look as if to tell me that it would be better if I gave up and confessed. Sighing, I let every moment with Arthur pop up from my mouth.

Although the spare times with him were not particularly mind blowing, it was still considered valuable information to Morgana and Gwen, and much to my dismay, they immediately told me what he was up to and why he was being so bipolar.

"We all agreed to this, the fact the Arthur is being like this probably because he is confused or either is playing around with you," Morgana announced.

I didn't say anything and waited for more information and interpretations to be thrown at me. Gwen hesitated but gained the courage to tell me the truth.

"I-I'm sorry, but I don't think he's actually that serious with you..." she squeaked, nearly choking on the words, "I know what he's like when he is in love"

Those words seem to pierce through me like an arrow travelling at the speed of light. Morgana looked at me with sympathetic eyes and apologized with Gwen. Should I believe them? Or should I take the advice and move on?

The questions went round and round in my head until finally they were pinned down. I felt a little disappointed with the conclusion and now I didn't know what to do when I meet up with the bloody prat. Perhaps I could walk away and give him the cold shoulder, or maybe I could just confess and then walk away. No, that would way too selfish.

"I think you should have a talk with him and see how he responds or reacts," Gwen suggested, taking another muffin to calm her nerves, "I can see that he still likes Sophia and heck, he has always had eyes for that good for nothing Barbie doll anyway!"

Morgana nodded, agreeing with Gwen on every word. I sighed and picked up the empty tray that was covered in muffin crumbs.

"I'll go put this away"

Morgana smiled, "Thanks"

**In Morgana's Kitchen**

When I walked into the kitchen, the first thing I noticed was how unhygienic it was here; obviously Morgana hasn't washed up after herself.

There were plated scattered on the benches, crumbing lying around on the tiled floor, cupboards were left wide open which had bowls and plates that wasn't even in order, small and large pots sitting on the rusty stove, dishes that still needed to be washed and the oven left open with another tray on it but this time with a flat cake on the tray.

"Whoa... This place needs some cleaning..."

Suddenly I heard rushing footsteps barge into the kitchen.

"Morgana"

Standing there was Morgana; she was panting and probably just remembered how hideous her kitchen had been. Trying to calm down and regain her normal cool and stable appearance, she put her hand up whenever I tried to talk.

"I forgot to clean the kitchen today," she said between pants, "You really didn't need to see this. This must be pretty scaring for you"

I let out a warm laugh, "No, no. I'm fine, I've actually seen worse"

"Oh, I'll just that wasn't sarcasm"

"No, it wasn't. You have to see my momma's cooking"

With that, Morgana let it out and gave me a happy smile of relief. I noticed Gwen was leaning against the door frame listening to the conversation without interrupting. Putting down the tray, we left the kitchen and went back to the lounge room.

A loud bark could be heard as we walked into the lounge room; it resembled Artie's bark really badly. Hearing the bark, Morgana and Gwen dragged me along toward it, but quietly took a peek out the front door.

It was Arthur and Mr. Swadling.

"What are they doing here for?" I asked quietly, grabbing Artie's mouth forcing him to silence.

"I don't know, isn't that why we sneaked here in the first place?" Gwen replied, pinching Morgana to get her attention while asking the exact same question.

Morgana suppressed the urge scream out in pain, "I don't know! Stop being so impatient and wait and see what happens!" she hissed at us.

So that's precisely what we did, wait and sit. I noticed Mr. Swadling pull out a sheet of paper and hand it over to Arthur and looked from right to left in alert. Arthur thanked him and went the opposite way, while the teacher went back to his house. From a distance I spotted Sophia standing next to a red sports car and gave Arthur a kiss on the cheek when he entered the car. The car then drove away.

"What that on about?" I asked, letting go of Artie's mouth while Artie snapped at me and trotted off.

"Arthur's up to something," Gwen mumbled, "And I don't think it might be a good thing either"

"What makes you so sure about that?" I wondered, standing up, "Did he do something in the past that was really bad?"

Gwen and Morgana exchanged glances and finally looked at me, "He has secrets even we do not know of, and since we don't know them that must be pretty frightening," they said in unison, "We all _think_ he's up to something bad, but with Swadling allying with him, then it must be awfully important"

I looked at them as if they had just gone mad. Gwen sighed and explained again but in a more adult to child way. All I could do was nod every time she asked 'do you understand?' and stare at me as if I had no choice but to understand.

Morgana looked down at her watch that was on her right wrist and informed me that it was already 4:00 pm and I should be heading home by now, otherwise my mother would be panicking and worrying for absolutely no particular reason. I went back inside and asked Gwen if I could borrow her umbrella just in case it rains again.

At 4:10 I left the house with goodbyes and warm hugs. It began to rain too.

So now I'm left with a lot of things to think about, especially cracking the code to Arthur' mysterious actions and secrets...+

**Thank you reviewing :) and I apologise for not updating sooner.**


	11. Door Messages and Movies

**Door Messages and Movies, March 12th**

I noticed how Arthur was acting today, he was quiet and was not bossing me around like he usually would, and because of this, I found it awkward and suspicious. I had always been a bit of a cautious child and was able to keep my secrets, but never once did I know how to deal with a person like Arthur, so two faced that it was frightening sometimes. I end up finding myself in an insecure position and sometimes I find myself stuck in a particular problem that seems to be too hard to solve.

It was three o'clock exact; we were having a snack, and were watching a movie with Sophia. Arthur had intended for me to join in, even though Sophia obviously obliged but instead put on a sweet act and allowed me to evade their personal time together. Never had I felt so out of it and weird, like who would want to watch a movie with their crush sitting right next to them, eating popcorn and their arm around their slutty _girlfriend_? Honestly, if this was a way of torturing me, it was certainly working.

The TV screen just kept flashing from scene to scene while I was in my thoughts; I wasn't interested in whatever the actors were saying. The movie was Sophia's choice and for goodness sake, I don't even know what it's called! Arthur didn't seem all that tuned into it either, he kept giving light glances while shoving more popcorn into his mouth.

"Arthur! You're spilling it all over me!" Sophia cried out, I noticed the popcorn crumbs on her new pink dress, "Can you eat in a better manner please?"

I nearly laughed when Arthur just rolled his eyes and shrugged half-heartedly while Sophia began streaming in fury. I swear she almost looked like those bulls in those rodeos. I turned my head to pay attention to the temporarily abandoned movie and stared at it blankly for a second, before noticing Arthur's heated gaze. I felt myself flare up.

"I-I need to go to the bathroom"

As I excused myself from the room, I saw from the corner of my eye Arthur's pleading stare and Sophia's most happy expression. There was another question that popped up, why does he go out with a girl that he doesn't even like? That I could never understand.

In the end I never went to the bathroom, instead I headed for the kitchen searching for Rosette; she should be cooking something right now. When I entered the kitchen, the first thing I saw was a blob of custard meshed onto the wall and a smiley made by skittles squished on the blob. Rosette wasn't here, which was odd, normally she would be cooking or cleaning the house, was it because Arthur's girlfriend was here?

"_Merlin_, why are you hanging around here when you said you were going to the bathroom?"

I cursed inwardly, Arthur, "That's none of your business," I replied, "The question is you. Why are you here with me?"

"Sophia actually fell asleep during the movie, she falls fast," Arthur responded smoothly, smirking at me smugly, "The rest is none of your business"

I shot him a hot glare before turning my back on him and retreated back upstairs. Ignoring Arthur's constant remarks and jokes about me, I stomped into my room and slammed the door in his face while slipping a note that I wrote ages ago under the door. It said **Go fuck yourself and find a life!** I knew it was rather harsh, but otherwise he wouldn't of had left me alone for the whole day. From the other side of the door I heard Arthur let out an amused laugh, then another slip came from under the door. Written underneath what I wrote was a comment **Yes, we all know that you image me doing these thing to myself (all in your fantasises) and for your information, I have one wonderful, **_**rich**_** life, unlike **_**some**_** people!**

I didn't hesitate and wrote down a couple of words that retorted **Excuse me? Just because momma and I moved here does NOT mean we're poor! Since when did I have such fantasises, I think it's you that have them hence the reason why you brought the topic up.**

After a while Arthur slipped his message under, **I never said you were poor and I did not bring the topic up! You were the one who began with 'fuck yourself' not me and why would I dream about you of all people? I have a girlfriend I'll have you know!**

I scoffed at the last sentence and remarked **Yeah, a girlfriend that you don't even like! **

Slipping that note under, I waited for Arthur to reply, but there was no response. Becoming a little worried, I peeked under the door, hoping for Arthur to give him a reassuring message, but nothing came. Feeling down and rejected, I trudged to my bed and began bouncing on it due to boredom. I wondered when I should start that book I was told to write? When was it due? Was it even that important? I have so many problems that I kinda forgotten about it.

Staring at the ceiling, pictures started to form and move like ones in a movie and before you knew it I was playing a movie in my head.

_I ran through the corridors until I reached the prince's chamber, I couldn't believe I was late again! Arthur was going to have my head! Slamming the door open I stumbled into the room and came face to face with Arthur's very, very unhappy expression._

"_Where were you?" the prince asked in irritation, his arms crossed, eyes glaring holes into my head, "I was patiently waiting for breakfast thank you very much, but it seems that you even failed that task. Why do I even consider keeping you?"_

"_You just love me too much," I remarked jokingly, pulling out Arthur's day clothes, "I'll get you breakfast until you're done dressing"_

"_A-hem"_

"_Oh! That's right; you even need help in that basic task"_

"_Merlin..."_

_I stopped when I sensed Arthur's deep, angry tone of voice. This time, I silently walked towards Arthur, but ended up tripping over his boots that were lying on the floor and threw the clothes on Arthur's face. My colour completely drained out, Arthur was going to send me to the stocks, I was sure of it._

"_Merlin, you better get your act up today or you're really going to the stocks," Arthur threatened as he got out of the bed and dumped he clothes beside him, "Now, hurry up! What kind of manservant just stands there?"_

_I tried not to roll my eyes in annoyance, but unfortunately, Arthur saw and scowled, "Merlin!" he yelled this time._

_I had always wondered why Arthur would call, yell or even murmur my name so many times. I ignored his tantrum and just obeyed Arthur and motioned towards him._

"_Finally, you're listening"_

"_Well, I'm not a dog," I pointed out, pulling off Arthur's shirt and tried not to stare at his chest, "Please tell me, why you can't dress yourself?"_

_The prince gave me an odd look, but didn't reply. I pulled on Arthur red tunic and slipped on his jacket, now the problem was the pants. I considered myself to be at least slightly more mature than most boys, and even though I've done this many times, this time, I felt awfully awkward._

_Peering up, I noticed the slight hint of pink lingering on Arthur's cheeks; I guess that means I'm not the only one embarrassed here. _

"_You can go get me breakfast," Arthur ordered, "I can put on my pants myself since my manservant doesn't know how to"_

"_I didn't know you were so keen on me seeing your private parts," I shot back as I headed for the door._

_Arthur's cheeks flared even more, "I d-didn't say that!" he nearly stumbled over his own words, "Just hurry up and get some food!"_

_Chuckling lightly, I bowed down and left a flushing prince in the room._

_

* * *

__The kitchens weren't really quite as grand as I thought it would be. Everything appeared to be stony and grey, pots that were big and small, black and silver were lying everywhere, a variety of sauce was splotched over the stony walls, tables were turned over as if someone had a massive fit and used his/her anger on the furniture. The utensils were scattered across the floor, a butchers knife was still stuck half through a bloody chicken's breast which looked quite disturbing, and a silver key ring was hanging loosely by the knob of the window seal._

_As curious as a cat, I prowled silently towards the key ring, but there was no key on it. I wondered who would leave this mess behind besides the chef, but Arthur had always said the chef was a tidy person and would not even think about untidiness. _

_The sound of the door creaking open shocked me and an elderly man stomped in. Scanning the room, his mouth hung open in unpleasant awe._

"_Y-You, you're that one who caused this – this disgusting mess!" he shouted, pointing his finger accusing me, "I will have to inform the King about this!"_

"_B-But – " before I could even explain what really happened, the elderly man left and I was left to suffer the consequences of being in the kitchen in the first place!_

_Running for my life, I entered Arthur's room, relieved to see the prince had put on his pants and was ready to leave. _

"_What the matter? Where's the food?" he asked with a tint of concern in his tone of voice._

"_You know how you told me to get food right? Well, now I'm going too taken to the dungeons for messing around in the kitchens when I'm not even the one who caused the mess!" I wailed frantically, "Oh why does it have to be like this?"_

_Arthur raised his eyebrow in amusement, "I'm pretty sure you're not gonna get executed for something this small, besides, the chef has no proof that you're guilty," he explained calmly._

"_I-I hadn't thought of that"_

"_Well, it takes time to get as smart as me," Arthur said arrogantly as he was about to leave, "I got to meet father, maybe I can fix your problem like I always do"_

_I shot him a glare and murmured, "Prat..."_

_Just outside the door I heard Arthur reply with a loud, muffled shout, "I HEARD THAT!_

_I let out a whole hearted laugh as I also left to meet up with Gaius.  
__At Gaius's chambers, I noticed that medicine books were lying pile by pile on one end of his study table. Two guards were having a chat with Gaius and I heard my name get brought up numerous times over and over again. I laid my ear against the door to get a better listen._

* * *

"_Where's that kid, Merlin?" one of the guards asked trying to intimidate the physician, "Let it out"_

_Gaius didn't respond and simply said, "I don't know"_

_My clumsiness on the other hand had other thoughts as I accidently slipped on the spot and shoved the door open for all to see. At that moment I didn't know what to do, it seems that Arthur didn't save me and I was left on my own. The guards charged at me before I could get the chance to move my skinny legs and looped their arms around mine and dragged me to the King's throne room._

_If Uther was anymore stupider than I thought, then this must be his moment. The chef had said that I used magic to create such a mess because someone as scrawny as I am couldn't have possibly made it without some sort of supernatural power. Arthur objected saying that it was a silly suggestion and the accusation had no proof, but Uther wouldn't hear of it, the one word magic seemed to affect him in some manipulating way that Uther's personality turned from humane to creature._

"_We execute him tomorrow morning at the dawn, I will not allow a sorcerer wonder around Camelot," he ordered then waved his hand signalling the guards to take me to the dungeons._

"_NO! That's unreasonable father!" Arthur yelled, defending me, "You have no proof that Merlin is guilty and what happens if it wasn't Merlin?"_

"_I like to make sure there are no sorcerers in Camelot because that is my duty as King. That thing there, Merlin, he is our enemy and not to mention serving boy, his life is not valuable," Uther said coldly, "Remember your duties Arthur"_

"_No! I'm not going to let you kill an innocent man!" Arthur protested further, but Uther just shook his head and left the room while I was sent to the dungeons._

* * *

_When dawn came, Arthur seemed to have failed convincing his father to spare my life and now I found myself with my head on the wooden block. I wondered how many people had died right on this chopping block, all those innocent lives... Now it was my turn._

_I counted down from ten, ready for the axe to land._

_10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1..._

I immediately shot up from my lying position. What kind of movie was that? It had nearly scared the hell out of me! Panting heavily, I checked the clock to see what time it was, 3:55, I slept for that long. I noticed a white sheet of paper lying on the floor of the doorway, was it from Arthur?

Getting up I read the message carefully, it said, **Sorry I didn't reply earlier, Sophia, she went looking for me... Can I meet you at the train station tomorrow? At the vending machines that where we'll meet up, tell me if you can't because I'm not very fond of waiting, from Arthur Pendragon.**

I didn't know what to do or say just then, how should I reply? Should I go with him? The questions roamed in my head constantly. Also there was a matter of school, but that I could pass for one day, so that wouldn't be a problem, that is if mother doesn't find out...

The only things left in my head were thoughts of how tomorrow's _date_ was going to be like.

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**I thank everyone that reviewed the story! I also apologise for not updating soon enough.**


	12. Finding Puzzle Pieces

**Finding Puzzle Pieces, March 13th**

The train station wasn't as crowded as I thought it would be; only a couple of people were waiting on the seats for their train to arrive. Arthur still hadn't come yet, and he was the one that asked me to come in the first place. I was beginning to regret coming, maybe he had left me here and went off with Sophia, or perhaps the message was suppose to be for her but was accidently slipped under my bedroom door. Either way, Arthur was really, really late.

Scanning around, the train station was mainly concrete ground and sheltering, soft drink vending machines stood in the middle of the station, and a couple of blue wooden benches were placed in line with each other in the middle line of the platform. There were stairs descending down to the ticket area, ahead of me was a small flower garden to lighten up the scenery and a small white cat sat peacefully on the wooden fence behind the garden. I was still worried, where was Arthur? The train was about to arrive.

"Excuse me, I am looking for a boy with pale white skin, raven hair and oh, umm..."

"Arthur!" I exclaimed, staring in shock at what he was wearing, "You are late"

The blond was wearing a long black coat that reached to his knees and a pair of sunglasses to cover his eyes, his coat was buttoned up so I couldn't see what he was wearing underneath. Arthur seemed to be staring at me like I was crazy as well; I was wearing my favourite pair of blue skinny jeans and a long, light yellow woolly jacket that was covering the purple, long sleeve shirt underneath, the shirt said **I am who I am** on it.

"Well, you certainly chose an interesting choice of clothing," Arthur muttered, smacking his forehead then shaking it in shame, "You have no fashion sense whatsoever"

I gave him a funny look and then retorted, "I'm not the one wearing a bloody coat that is practically covering every inch of my body and sunnies that cover my eyes! At least I don't look like retard trying to appear like a _secret agent_!"

Arthur glared at me and remarked, "Retard?" he nearly yelled out loud, but the people who were eavesdropping at our conversation stopped him from doing so, "Just be happy I even _arrived_ here in the first place, honestly, I was having a wonderful dream until I realised I had to come here!"

"Che, you're the one who invited me," I reminded, "Besides, what are we going to do and where are we going?"

"Somewhere," Arthur hinted, smirking as my curiosity grew, "It's a surprise"

I blinked, "A surprise? I just hope it's a good one"

Arthur rolled his eyes at my comment and turned his head to the direction of the train that was coming. The sound was loud and I could feel the wind being pushed onto my face when the front of the train passed by quickly. Coming to a halt, Arthur and I stepped in, trying to avoid bumping into anyone, although there were hardly any people hanging around. It's probably because it's a school day...

The train ride was a silent one, we took the seats on the top floor because there were no-one on it, so we were left alone with nobody to eavesdrop on our conversations. Arthur was staring out the window in boredom as the scenery passed by one by one. I tried to bring up a topic, but nothing came up in my mind and Arthur wasn't even listening to what I have to talk about anyway. So instead I followed suit and gazed out the window as well.

We were passing Fountain Park, the largest park in the area. The land was bare, there was just grass stretching across the land towards the long, wide river ahead, there were a lot of trees surrounding the grassland, besides that everything was green.

"When do we get off?" I asked, not making any eye contact as I continued to stare outside, but this time on the cloudy sky.

Arthur didn't answer at first then replied with a blunt answer, "Soon"

I sighed; making a conversation shouldn't be that hard with the mighty Arthur Pendragon, I couldn't even believe he was this moody! Arthur began to shuffle around on his seat in an uncomfortable motion then paused when he realised I was staring at him in concern. He blushed lightly, and pulled away from my eye contact and hid his face from my view a little and returned to staring outside. For a start, I thought he was actually afraid of me but then again he might just be shy.

"Sorry, I don't know how to start a conversation with you at the moment, so many stuff stuck in my mind," Arthur apologised, looking at me this time, "When we get off the train I want you to close your eyes until I say open. Do you trust me?"

The question was a tough one, I didn't really trust him that much yet, "Yes," I murmured, surprised at my own answer.

Arthur smiled softly and stood up, "We're here"

Getting off the train, I closed my eyes and felt my way through. I felt my hands roam in the air until I touched something soft and fleshy, caressing it Arthur's hand clenched around my wrists signalling me to stop. I was a bit disappointed at the loose of close contact at whatever it was.

"You were touching my cheek," Arthur told me afterwards laughing when I turned beetroot red from embarrassment, "I'll hold your hand until we get there alright?"

I nodded in response, not sure where Arthur was until his hand slipping into mines, holding onto it tightly. Relaxing, I allowed Arthur to take a step forward and lead me towards our destination. It was unnerving though, to walk in the dark, but it's nice to know someone's there for you.

* * *

"Alright, open your eyes"

I had been keeping my eyes closed for at least ten minutes while Arthur tried his best not to lose my trust and kept me unharmed. I had heard a little girl scream out that she wanted her balloon back and a boy arguing about the candy he had lost; two adults were having a conversation about coffee and whether Late was better than Cappuccino.

Opening my eyes slowly, the sight in front of me was amazing. There was the castle standing tall in front of me. Arthur was smiling happily at my reaction and told me that he had spent hours trying to convince his father to let him for once so he could show me what it was like _inside_ the magnificent artefact. I was too shocked and awed to realise that Arthur had slid his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to him. There was nobody around after all.

"You want a tour inside?"

I gaped at him, "Are you serious? Last time you said this place was out of bounds for people like us!"

"People like _you_, I can come here anytime really, but since you were so fascinated by this building I figured it would be nice to let you in by the permission of father and I"

"Oh my god, I know I'll regret saying this but... You're amazing I swear!"

Arthur smirked smugly and led me inside the castle, pushing the large doors open and let me inside first. The inside of the castle of huge, the first thing you see would be a large hallway and a stair case leading several directions. On the left the stair case leads to the royal bedrooms, the one on the right goes to the laundry area, well, that's what Arthur says anyway. The walls were all grey and stony, the ground was also made of stone and the temperature was probably near freezing point. I didn't know how people back then live in here.

"Is it too cold for you?" Arthur asked, faking a concerned accent, "Oh, I'm sorry, you should know by now that castles are cold places"

I wanted to punch him so badly but I restrained myself from doing so. Arthur laughed loudly, letting his voice echo in throughout the castle, I seriously thought he was shameless sometimes.

"Tone down please"

Arthur raised an eyebrow at my command, "What makes you think I'm going to even listen?" he said, twice as loud as before, "Well, I'm going to give you a tour, like it or not and it's gonna be a LOUD one!"

I covered my ears when Arthur shouted out 'loud' in my face and glared at him like he was the worst thing born in this world. Arthur just ignored my threatening stare and turned his back on me while walking further in the castle. I sighed in defeat; when Arthur Pendragon wanted something, he might as well get it.

The trip in the castle was fascinating, although it was freezing, I got to admit the view was spectacular and rooms were pretty grand for a building as old as this one. Arthur was obviously proud of this artefact and continued ranting or bragging (both really) about how he knew from the beginning that he was born to thrive in a castle and be born to be treated like royalty, I just rolled my eyes every time he mentioned that line.

"Come on Merlin, you agree don't you?" Arthur bragged, "I was so born to do this"

"Yeah, be the _noble_ leader of his run down castle and be a complete _prat_ of yourself whenever you got the bloody chance..." I grumbled under my breath.

We were currently in the prince's chambers; the place was huge, and eye catching, the size of the bed seemed to take up most of the room, then the table came in second being placing by the window where he owner could see what his people were up to. Yes, I agreed with Arthur that this was indeed a place fit for a prince, though I didn't agree on the part where Arthur said _he_ was the prince. I just laughed at that.

"You can't be seriously thinking that you are the prince right?"

Arthur gaped at me like I was insane, "Don't you remember? We travelled here with my father"

Now it was my turn to be utterly shocked, "I don't remember that, sorry, I've never left Ealdor before, that is, until now"

"Well, do you want me to remind you?" he asked, taking a seat on the bed, "You wanted that guy, Will, to come with you but his mother wouldn't let him and you were sobbing the whole way to Camelot. You're mother was so bloody worried about you then, and she even tried teasing my father to get you smile"

I stared him clueless, "How come momma never told me this?"

"Because you were in a coma from getting hit by a car here"

Arthur's blunt reply shocked me; I didn't know I was hit by a car! "What happened to me?"

"You lost some of your memory, you forgot about me"

"Oh my god, I'm sorry!"

I couldn't believe this, I had forgotten about Arthur and now I know why I kept having things like déjà vu. Arthur's expression looked pained, as if something hit him on the back of the head really hard. I wanted to hug him, but I realised that would be worst idea now; I didn't want to ruin a perfectly good start to a friendship.

"Ever since you left back to Ealdor with your mother, I was really lonely... I became two faced; I learnt how to hide my feelings," he confessed, his hands covering his face, "When you came back I didn't know what to do, whether to reconnect or to avoid."

"Then we will help each other regain my memories," I smiled, "I have been getting these flashbacks lately... One in a castle, the other was the tree house"

Arthur eyes shot up when he remembered the day when I asked him whether I met him in the tree house, "I was _really _shocked when you asked me that seriously, nearly gave me a heart attack" he exclaimed, standing up and headed for the door, "Where do you wanna go now?"

"Home," I replied bluntly but still had a smile on my face, "I wanna go home"

"Right, next destination... Home," Arthur called out, "That is until we meet the dragon"

"There's a DRAGON?" I asked loudly, wide eyed.

Arthur just laughed whole-heartily and led me through the corridors and down into the dark dungeons. Suddenly I heard an old, wise voice call out to me in an eerie way, dragging me into my thoughts.

'_Merlin...'_

"Who is it?" I called out, half scaring Arthur.

"What are you doing? You look like a lunatic calling out to yourself like that!" Arthur scolded and turned back to the flight of stairs in front of him, "Be careful"

"Alright," I grumbled as I felt Arthur grab onto my hand to lead me inside, then the voice appeared again...

'_Merlin...'_

"_Who is it?"_ I called out in my mind this time, but was responded with a laugh.

'_I will help you find the puzzle pieces'_

I was going to ask who it was but the voice completely disappeared, leaving a small fading laughter behind...

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**Thank you to momentshaveyou, kutoki, ExDee LessThanThree, fire dragonheart, Anime Goddess101, and emiliexox for the recent reviews. This ain't the end...**


	13. Questioning the Truth

**I'm sorry for not updating sooner, I had tests to do... I thank everyone for reviewing MYLY (Meeting you, and Loving you), I'm very grateful :).**

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Questioning the Truth

The voice was stuck in my head, I just couldn't forget it, it's like I heard the voice before but I don't remember who the owner was. Arthur was still holding my hand as we continued down the flight of spiralling stairs; it sucked because there wasn't any electric lights to help us lead the way, so instead, Arthur used the medieval torch with the flickering fire dancing on the spot on the massive wooden stick.

"Arthur... There was this strange voice in my head..."

Arthur looked at me as if I was insane for a second there; I rolled my eyes at his reaction and remained silent for the rest of the way down the stairs. Arthur's hand was clutching tightly around my hand as if he was desperately keeping me safe and protected. I wasn't sure if my heart skipped a beat there...

When we reached the end of the stair case, there was a small slab of rock sticking out from the entrance. Arthur quietly led me inside, I thought he feared the dragon might pop out of nowhere and attack us since it never really got a lot of visitors; actually, it never had visitors considering the castle is out of bounds.

"Welcome!" a deep, old voice greeted, shocking me and Arthur.

Suddenly, a strong gush of wind beat across our face as the massive leathery wings of the dragon same into view. I was breath taken; I've never seen a real life dragon before, let alone a talking one. Arthur seemed to be smiling at my reaction and expression towards the dragon and took a step forward staring at the magnificent beast. For some reason this all felt very familiar to me, it was as if I had spoken to this dragon before.

I gathered up my courage and spoke up, "Umm... Have I spoken to you before?"

Arthur looked at me like I had a mental disorder then looked back at the dragon. The dragon laughed a vibrating and chilly laugh as he bent his head down as if he wanted to see a better view of me while trying to push Arthur out of the way.

"I've known you for thousands of years..." he began, his voice was extremely loud like standing in front of an aeroplane taking flight, "I suppose you remember me too, young Emrys"

My eyes felt strange, it was as if a flickering fire had appeared, then disappeared when it heard the name 'Emrys'. Arthur looked twice as confused; it seemed he didn't notice my eyes' flickering in anyway.

"What are you talking about? Merlin's name isn't _Emrys_!" Arthur stated loudly and in annoyance.

The dragon spared him a glance and laughed, "You never change Arthur _Pendragon_, as arrogant as you always are yet noble and emotional all rolled up into one person. It seems you haven't learnt how to contain your wild and confused emotions"

This time it was my turn to gape at the dragon while Arthur seemed to blush a little for some reason, "W-What's going on?" I asked in puzzlement.

"Perhaps you should come back when you are ready young ones," suggested the dragon as he was prepared to set off into the upper half of the cave again.

"Wait!" Arthur and I yelled in unison, but the dragon already left and all you could hear was his flapping wings echoing throughout the cave and his taunting laughter ringed in my ears.

Meeting the dragon was strange and unnerving, never had I felt so confused and puzzled about what was happening in my life. Often I would wonder why I met Arthur and then forget him in the first place and why was Arthur the only person I had forgotten, not anybody else? I always thought there was something missing, but what - no, who exactly?

"Let's go eat something, are you hungry?"

I snapped out of my thoughts as Arthur dragged me out the dungeon and into the empty kitchens. It seemed odd having nobody around here, it was like there was _supposed _to be a dozen people here cooking and causing a racket.

The kitchens were bright; light was spreading across the dusty, unused tables, there were still knives hanging on the walls, cupboards filled with clay cups, metallic goblets, rock plates, china plates, fragile bowls, metal bowls and other extremely heavy eating utensils. The forks and spoons on the other hand were scatter across the table with words engraved at the corners. Strangely enough the handwriting was familiar.

"That's my handwriting..." Arthur interrupted, staring at the table oddly like I was, "That's weird..."

My eyes grew wide when I heard, I was beginning to feel this place was scaring me, it was like some treasure here, everything felt right to me but no pictures were forming in my head; great, more déjà vu. I tugged at Arthur's shirt, signalling him that I wasn't that hungry anymore and I didn't want to stay any longer; it seemed he was agreeing with me and pulled me through and out the castle.

"Is it just me or did this place just feel like I _belonged _there for some reason?" he asked as he led me back to the train station.

"I don't know. Did you feel like this before?"

Arthur shook his head, "It only appeared when you are around me actually, like at school I just feel like teasing you and ruffling your hair"

I was half shocked and half happy about the reply, "Guess I should be flattered then?"

"Of course you should be. Who gets to be on a _date _with the mighty Arthur Pendragon?" he noted with a laugh.

"Sophia..." I whispered quietly, not wanting Arthur to hear my comment.

"What?" he stared at me wide eyed, obviously he heard my remark, "I didn't know you were _that _jealous of my all so beautiful girlfriend!"

I raised an eyebrow, "Yeah, oh so _beautiful _indeed," I coughed under my breath, "If she were so beautiful why not go take _her _on this date as well?"

"Because she isn't special to me duh," Arthur replied smugly, "I know how you feel about me, _Mer_lin"

Shit. That was the one word I thought of when I heard Arthur. I mean, like seriously? Was it that obvious? Did I blush too much? Or is it that he's just super observant? I really hated it when people just come out from nowhere and then straightforwardly blurt out something so tender and emotional. Dealing with a multi-faced Arthur was bad enough, but now facing an Arthur is not only multi-faced, but also knows my soft spot and is twice as observant and not to mention more arrogant than he was before!

"_Mer_lin, are you still living?"

Great, now he's _emphasising_ my name? It also appeared that he was enjoying doing this bickering...

"Umm... Merlin, why are you ignoring me?" Arthur stared at me in confusion, and then burst out laughing, "It's the name isn't it?"

"No it's not," I denied, crossing my arms.

"Oh, it so is! Come on don't run away like a girl," Arthur pushed my buttons one by one, trying to test my patience, "Wait don't worry, you're already one"

"Heh, you'd wish that then I'd be perfect for you," I remarked, smirking at him while he was blinking in shock, "Oh yeah, go ahead and blink, I've won this round"

We were already arrived at the train station and the clock said it was 3:20; I didn't know we spent that much time at the castle. Arthur seemed to have given up on conjuring another insult, or he might be thinking about the perfect one to aim at me when we get back home.

Taking a seat, I waited for Arthur as he went to the nearest vending machine and bought me a small bar of mars chocolate while he got himself a long flake. He remembered that I wasn't all so into sweets and was very sensitive about my physical appearance and weight. He had tried to convince me into eating more chocolate by saying that I was way too thin for my own good and practically resembled a stick.

The arguments went on and on until the train finally arrived, but we even argued about sitting in which seat; the passengers all stared us we're insane. I tried my best to keep my cool and not get irritated by Arthur's annoying and taunting remarks about my oversized ears.

"Come on Merlin, given up already?" Arthur smirked as he leaned forward.

"You have _no _idea how bad –"

"You want to thank me for bringing you to this magnificent date?"

"No, I was meant to say... How badly I want to punch you at the moment"

Arthur raised his eyebrow before leaning in closer, "You wouldn't be able to even leave a scratch on me," he smiled cheekily.

"Don't judge a book by its cover," I stated, "I'm stronger than I look you know"

"Oh, really?" Arthur didn't look convinced, "The very book that blushed every time I passed by... Very strong of you"

I rolled my eyes in exasperation and ignored him the whole time during the train ride while he tried to regain my attention by either leaning closer to my face or 'accidently' bumping into me whenever the train came to a stop at the train stations. Sitting next to Arthur Pendragon has never been so tiring...

When the train stopped at our station, we exited and headed home hoping nobody would catch us together; after all we didn't hang out at school. Unfortunately, Sophia seems to be at the exact same train station we were currently on. I noticed Arthur nervously fidgeting as we headed to the stairs passing Sophia and some other guy she was with. I felt sorry for Arthur; his girlfriend was going out with some other guy...

"Are you OK?" I asked in full concern as we walk past a small fountain; we were at Sherman Park, "Arthur?"

Arthur snapped out of his trance, "Huh? Oh! Sophia? Nah, I'm fine, she's always like that, besides, she's been like that with her previous boyfriend too," he answered quickly, trying to not make eye contact with me, "Look I gotta go and think about some things..."

I nodded in understanding while Arthur headed for the opposite direction; right where Sophia was. I didn't know whether to feel guilty or to feel jealous, he took me on a date when he already had a girlfriend, I liked him, but he still liked Sophia.

Trudging past the school building, I took a peek inside; Gwen and Lance were hanging out together while Morgana was whining about something to Brendan. It seemed they were doing drama outdoors today. Mr. Swadling was talking to Nimueh, well mostly ordering her to keep the class silent while she was listening to her iPod ignoring him. I chuckled to myself when I saw Valiant in a rosy pink gown saying the lines of _Romeo and Juliet, _he must be Juliet.

Creeping past, I was luckily enough to pass the school gates without being caught wagging and when I reached _home _I realised I had nothing to do. Arthur's laptop was open and there was a message left for him. I didn't want to intrude, so I tried to ignore the beeping, but my curiosity got the better of me and I rushed towards the laptop and opened the message.

It said:

_Hey, this is Will, how are ya man? I heard Merlin is living at your place, you better not lay a finger on him, otherwise... Besides that threat I wanna tell you I don't want my best friend hurt thanks, if you wanna play games then use someone else. Oh, don't you dare tell Merlin that I bloody hell talking to someone like you alright?"_

_I heard about you and Sophia and that engagement your father arranged for you. I still don't get why you moved man. Oh well, see ya._

I read the message over and over again. Will, my best friend was talking to Arthur without me knowing. Did he know Arthur before? I knew I lost my memory, but Will said he told me everything that should have happened in my past life, yet I didn't remember Arthur.

My own mother kept some things from me too. I realised as I scanned through my memory, that she never talked about Arthur either, she had hidden the doctor's information about the accident and she never told me about it. Will too, didn't tell me about what happened and now I didn't know whether to trust Arthur at all.

The sentence _Sophia _and _engagement _struck me like a sharp knife. Why didn't Arthur tell me? I felt betrayed, I wondered if he was playing around with my feelings since he knew about them already and perhaps that date was to lure me into a deadly trap. Unfortunately though, I had already begun my long fall down...

"Merlin... What are you doing on _my _laptop?"

I turned around to find an extremely pissed off Arthur... I shrunk down into the chair as Arthur moved closer, his eyes dark and emotionless. I just hoped this wasn't going to scar me for the rest of my life...


	14. Shakespearean Cupids

**Shakespearean Cupids **

Arthur stood in front of me as I shrunk into the seat. He was going to murder me for this… I took a peek up, but only to be intimidated by him further as he moved closer towards me; he was like a massive tower towering over me. His hand was making its way towards me as I squeezed my eyes shut ready for a painful blow on the head or any part of the body. Nothing came. Only the feeling of Arthur's soft hands on my shoulders.

I half opened my eyes peering at him. His baby-blue eyes had a mixture of fear and disgrace as well as relief. His hands were still gripping on my shoulders possessively. We said nothing, did nothing, fearing that we'd create the temptation for violence. Breathing in and out calmly and slowly, I opened my eyes and met his; it feels like an endless sky. I was flying in the pools of the sky in those eyes. Realising how long I've been staring, I whipped my head to the other side, away from those hypnotising eyes.

"You didn't answer my question," he stated in a deeper voice than usual.

"I-I… OK, my curiosity got the better of me," I stammered, "I didn't do it on purpose and I only did once which is today"

It seemed that he trusted me to an extent and let go of my shoulders while I bolted out of the chair and behind the sofa like a cowering pussy cat. To my surprise, he began laughing softly as he shut the laptop quietly. Shuffling further behind the sofa in suspicion, I cautiously watched him motion closer.

Maybe it was the fact that he was engaged that made me slightly insane in my heart, or it was the tiny voice inside my head nagging me to lean closer. I ignored it all and continued to bring up the barriers. His eyes were still on me like a predator on its prey. I muttered how he wouldn't dare touch me. In return, my warning earned me a dark chuckle and mischievous eyes lighting up as I shrunk further.

"You know how we're doing _Romeo and Juliet _for drama and English?"

I blinked, "Yeah?"

I watched as he took a deep breath in and spoke up, "Will you be my Juliet?" he asked, shifting his eyes away from mines as quickly as possible, "It's not that I _literally _want you to be my Juliet, it's more about how I don't have anyone for the project…"

"I thought you have a different class?" I noted, "Besides, why do I have to be Juliet?"

"'Cause you're girly and feminine," he replied bluntly as I got from the back of the soft sofa and fell onto it lazily, "You'll never see me in a bloody skirt," he pointed out.

I thought about that, "Don't be too sure…" I mumbled under my breath, making sure Arthur didn't hear me.

His head shot up, eyes glaring at me, "What did you say? If you got a problem better come say it to my face," he challenged eagerly, a smile tugged on his pink lips.

"Well, you didn't answer my first question," I reminded, "And I said 'Don't be too sure'"

His eyes darted to the left for a second before returning them back to mine. He opened his mouth about to say something, but closed it, his eyebrow formed into a frown. The nagging voice at the back of my mind screamed at me. I didn't know who to trust.

"I moved down a class. I'm not that good at drama," he answered carefully, "Besides, why does it matter?"

I didn't believe him. Not a single bloody word that came out of his mouth seemed to be true. The prat was trying to lie to me! A surge of irritation bubbled in my belly as I tried to calm myself down. There should be a reason for it, right? There has got to be.

Keeping my lips zipped, I analysed how he nervously fidgeted with his fingers, shifting his light blue eyes left to right and tapping his foot on the ground like he was listening to music. I knew that Sophia was in his drama class. Was he trying to avoid her? I knew he didn't know I was in his drama class till a couple of days ago.

"Can I trust you?"

Arthur stared at me, his eyes narrowing slightly as he thought about the question. I waited patiently as the silence dragged on. His soft breathing could be heard as I stared into space. I wondered what the dragon said was true and why the castle felt so familiar. It was strange, Arthur's writing on the kitchen table, the dragon calling me Emrys when it was my last name. Besides that, how on earth did he know my name in the beginning?

"That's up to you"

The answer wasn't what I was expecting. Arthur sighed dramatically, and rubbed his head tiredly. I quirked an eyebrow, which brought him to tears of laughter. I gaped at him in confusion. What was so funny?

"You're face!" Arthur exclaimed between laughs, "You look like that chimp on TV!"

"WHAT?"

"Never mind," Arthur brushed off my cry as he quickly ran up stairs while I grabbed anything around me and threw it at him.

Nobody calls me a monkey. Especially that puppet on that kids channel…

I heard the door shut upstairs and Arthur's laughter was still there. I decided to let that insult slide for today; I'll use it for an excuse to get at him later. Letting my eyes roam to a finely printed book that had the words _Romeo and Juliet _written in cursive, I went back to the table and flipped open the book. Marks were all over the pages. In blue pen was my name written on every line _Juliet _had to say, and in red pen was A.P. on every line _Romeo _had to say. I assumed A.P. was Arthur Pendragon.

Realisation hit me. He had planned everything beforehand.

I scanned through the lines I had to memorise. Oh my god… There was a kissing scene… A kissing… Oh my god…

Heat rose into my pale cheeks, from my neck all the way to the top of my head. I couldn't do a scene like that with Arthur! What would the whole school think? What would _Sophia _think? I mean really, I don't care for Sophia all that much, but Arthur sure did. If I screw things up for his relationship then I'm gonna die! The engagement makes it twice as worse! I could just image Sophia on her wedding day… _'I can't marry __**that **__he kissed a boy, mother!' _The thought just irritated me.

Sighing, I knew I was being kind of unfair. Sophia didn't actually do anything to me that'd harm me. It was just me and my jealousy. It scared me. It scared me to the core.

* * *

It was Morgana who came over to our house uninvited; she informed us that she was expecting us to join her to her villa in the holidays. She was also expecting me to finish the book till the end of the year. Arthur scoffed at the thought of writing, but earned himself a glare from Morgana. I told her about the play, and she told me that she'd teach how to act better, even though I was already pretty good according to her.

It was the gossip bit that intrigued her.

"Are you serious? _Arthur _asked you to be _his _Juliet?" she asked in complete fascination as she cornered me in my bedroom. I just was silently thanking the lord for not having Arthur here listening to the conversation.

"Why didn't you tell me in the beginning?" she continued to whine out loud while I tried to tone her down.

"Because Arthur was there!" she looked at me in realisation and nodded like a fish, "And yes, he was the one who asked me. I don't know why though"

"He likes you"

My mouth dropped into an 'O' shape from shock. Morgana shrugged and smiled innocently, "What? It's true. I've never seen Arthur quite so sure about getting something or _someone_," she stated in an 'a matter of fact' type of tone.

The bedroom door was being violently slammed by somebody's hand. Suddenly the door was yanked open, revealing Arthur suspiciously searching the place until his eyes landed to the position of me and Morgana. I realised how I was being cornered and the other beauty was standing very, _very _close to me. It's a sad fact that I wasn't interested in women.

"Umm… Am I interrupting something?"

"Yeah, you are!" Morgana scowled at him as he was about to exit, "Unless… You want to join"

Arthur froze on the spot._ 'He was getting the wrong impression…' _I thought, suppressing a laugh. Morgana gave me a wink and approached Arthur like a sly tabby cat while I was leaning against the walls waiting for something to happen. The innocent blond backed away and darted out the door after shouting out 'sorry'.

Morgana smiled mischievously, "You like Arthur right?"

I sighed; she had already asked that question already, "Yeah…"

"Well, wouldn't it be nice if I became your personal cupid?" she asked, motioning her arms into position where she would have to shoot an arrow, "Please?"

"It's not about me… It's Arthur. It's up to him to return my feelings…"

Morgana scoffed, "You are _far _too depressing. Don't give up! I bet he likes you too!"

"What makes you so confident?" I asked, raising my eyebrow, "I don't want Arthur to think I'm desperate alright? Otherwise it'll be awkward for us, especially Arthur"

"What part of _cupid _don't you understand?" she said in slight irritancy, "He's not meant to know that I'm setting him up"

"Oh…"

"Exactly, now just let me do my job and I'll inform you how the progress is," Morgana told me cheerfully as she picked up her stuff and left the room while I followed.

Arthur was playing with his mobile, yelling and screaming every time he lost the game. I laughed softly, catching his attention unintentionally. He blue eyes widened as a blush crept onto his cheeks and ears. _'He still thinks I did 'that' with Morgana' _I thought, shaking my head.

As I said my goodbyes to Morgana, I shut the door quietly and headed back upstairs. In my room was Arthur crawling over the sheets searching under them like a puppy looking for his favourite chewy toy. I leaned against the door frame watching him rummage through everything. He didn't notice me till his head bobbed up from under the sheets and faced the doorway. His hair tangled in a mess and his face technically glowing red from embarrassment.

"I'm sorry, but was I interrupting something?" I asked, using his previous question.

"Oh umm… No?" he stammered, "I was kinda umm…"

I tapped my foot on the floor impatiently, "You were kinda what?"

"I-I thought…" he gave up and diverted his eyes, "I-I thought you and Morgana were umm… Doing something…?"

My own blue orbs widened in shock. He still thought Morgana and I did _that_? "You pervert!" I exclaimed out loud, warm blood rising past my long neck, "Oh my god…"

Arthur's expression appeared to be hurt, and I immediately felt guilty for yelling at him like that…

Walking towards him, I gathered up my courage and wrapped my arms around him. I could hear his gasp in shock, but he didn't push me away. Instead, he leaned closer and clang onto my shirt, pulling me closer. My heart was literally beating so hard that I could hear it and feel it beating inside my chest. Engulfing the scent of lemons, I pulled away. The tingling sensation remained all over me.

There was disappointment on Arthur's face, but it was covered quickly. The silence in the room was surrounded by the sound of our hearts beating. I was dizzy from Arthur's touch and was dazed that he didn't push me away. He stared at me and all I could see was a pair of sky blue eyes and the deflated black pupils…

"I will gladly be your Juliet"

* * *

**I thank momentshaveyou, ExDee LessThanThree, fire dragonheart, emiliexox, Lady Asteri, Catindahat, kutoki, Tianne, Anime Goddess101, emi1merlinfan, and Year of the Butterfly for reviewing the most recent chapters :).**


	15. A Pendragon Warning

_**Warning: It's a little sexist...  
Slight spoiler, but not a huge one for Season 2**_

**

* * *

****A Pendragon Warning, March 18****th**

It's been five days since Arthur spoken to me after the agreement to be Juliet. Actually it almost felt as if he was avoiding me. Maybe it was because he was finally realising his feelings, but that would make me seem full of myself… He's still as sweet as ever, helping me now and then, but when it came to the play and rehearsing together, he would run for it like a scared animal.

Today, the avoidance would end. Mr Swadling wasn't going to take excuses for an answer and the performance was due in the next three days. Arthur hadn't even uttered anything about the play to me at all. Not in dinner, lunch or in the morning…

Damn him for not talking to me. I felt like punching him in the face so bad, like honestly, why was he avoiding me when he was the one who asked me in the first place? I shook my head in annoyance. At the far corner of the science classroom, Arthur was laughing with his friends. Valiant casted me a pissed off glance before patting Arthur on the shoulder and pointed at me. I immediately shifted my gaze down on the green floor under me.

"Hey, you look depressed"

Looking up I met Lance's worried expression, "Hey, do I? I haven't been sleeping well lately… I'm a little tired"

That was far from the truth. Well, not completely the truth. It's true that I haven't been sleeping well, but I wasn't tired, just worried. Actually, I was more extremely anxious. Lance still had his worried face on while Gwen shut her favourite book that she'd been reading for the past minute. The teacher hasn't come in yet.

"Merlin, are you alright?" Gwen asked in a serious tone, "You look like you've seen a ghost"

Lance nodded in agreement with her. I groaned inwardly. I replied with the same answer I did for Lance. Gwen just nodded, not wanting to tire me further. Ms Wild came into the classroom dramatically, tapping her long ruler onto the board to get our attention. Gwen turned away while Lance shuffled back to his seat (the one next to Arthur near the window, at the far left). The class fell silent and Ms Wild smiled pleasantly.

"Now class, I have something utterly fun for you all," she announced, her grin just broadening, "Practice test papers"

The class groaned and moaned in disagreement. Even I mentally sighed at the thought of a test (actually I wished I could just disappear and never return here again). But of course, the teacher's smile never faded and she called out for two students to hand out the papers.

Arthur flipped the papers carelessly onto the tables, but carefully placed mine in front of me gently. I thanked him quietly, not sure why he treated me so differently. I heard him slide out his seat and sat down with a thud. I chuckled as a sudden memory (for some reason it was in the medieval ages) of me calling him overweight popped up in my mind. He didn't like that. Actually he hated it so much that he would put me in stocks and then when I came back to fill the bath, he poured water over my head.

Snapping out of my thoughts, I stared at the test papers. Atoms and metals... If I paid attention in class I could flawlessly pass this test, but unfortunately I didn't (too busy staying at a certain someone). So I came to the conclusion that I was gonna die. Sitting in the far corner of the classroom was Valiant; he was scrunching up the test paper in utter annoyance. Ms Wild ordered us to separate from the person next to us. I shot Gwen a 'save me!" look and shuffled away from her. She just smiled while rolling her eyes at my dramatic motions.

"You'll be fine," she reassured softly, "I trust you're a smart boy"

I laughed when Gwen's expression changed at the word 'smart'. Ms Wild told as to start, the ticking clock seemed to have slowed down and dragged on time. I sighed and began my test.

* * *

Drama class… Arthur was still expected to attend even though he wasn't _meant _to be here. I was grateful for it though. Mr Swadling ordered us around like no tomorrow and Sir Bailey was sitting by the corner of the stage in boredom (mostly staring at a frisky Morgana). I still remember the conversation we had about being a cupid. Now that I thought of it, it was pretty weird. I searched the room for a tuff of blond hair that might be hiding among the students.

I found him sitting alone by the window and reading the lines of 'Romeo'. I mentally smiled at the thought, but suddenly his smile seemed to falter a bit as if he didn't know whether to be happy or to be frightened. I frowned and went up to him.

"You're reading the lines?"

Arthur looked at me as if I was stupid, "Uhh… What else would I be doing?"

"Talking, flirting… A _lot _of things actually," I pointed out, eyeing Nimueh (in the corner of my eyes) who was giving me the dirty look every now and then, "We need to rehearse. I'm sorry if this is going to like scare you but…"

"We have to kiss," he finished the sentence for me, "I know Merlin"

I raised an eyebrow, "Well, you don't sound surprised, disgusted or scared by the looks of things," I commented, "I think I should be pleased"

"And why is that?" he asked, placing the book down beside him, "Don't tell me, you were _looking forward_ to it?"

Oh dear god. He was smirking. Smirking, that triumphant smirk of his that told me 'I knew I am _totally _irresistible'. I rolled my eyes at the thought. Arthur shifted is attention elsewhere and spotted Morgana, Lance and Gwen chatting about roles. Morgana sensed them and smiled at Arthur and winked at me. Heat rose to my cheeks.

"Did she just _wink _at _you_?"

I nodded speechless, "So are we gonna rehearse yet?" I tried to change the subject and fiddled with the hems of my shirt.

"Oh, yeah, sure," he agreed as he stood up and picked up the book, "We kinda have to rehearse with Valiant and Nimueh though. Is that alright with you?"

"I thought Valiant was in a different group! Yesterday he was practicing for the line Juliet," I explained, "Wouldn't he like kill me if I take his 'beloved' role?"

Arthur laughed, "No you idiot, he can't do anything to you if I'm here OK?"

I heaved out a sigh of relief and followed him towards them. Nimueh was the first to greet me with a warm smile on her face, even though her eyes just screamed 'Get away from _my _Arthur!' while Valiant and his followers glared at me. I suppressed the urge to shiver.

"What's that slave doing here?" Valiant questioned in irritation, "We don't need any more annoying _things _in our group!"

Arthur ignored the insult and replied smoothly, "He has no-one to go with, and I asked him to play Juliet"

The group gasped, "_Him?_"

I was offended, but kept my mouth wisely shut. Who likes to be a newbie and join a group and then they wished to reject you? I glared at Valiant and turned my attention to Arthur hoping he'd reply with something clever. I noticed Morgana whispering to Gwen as they shot me worried looks.

"Yes him. Is there any object-"

"Of course there is a bloody objection!" Valiant's voice rose, "We agreed that _I _would be Juliet and that you'd be Romeo! Jesus, why did you have go get this _thing _and make _it _Juliet!"

That was the last straw, "Well excuse me! I am male thank you very much and I would appreciate it if you didn't call me _thing_! If you really want to be Juliet then have that stinking role!" I snapped, snatching the Shakespeare book from Arthur's hands and shoved at Valiant, "There, happy?"

"You are male? I doubt that completely. You walk like a girl, talk like a girl-"

"And you want to be a girl," Arthur interjected, staring blankly at Valiant, "You desperately want to be Juliet because you want to be a girl"

Valiant paled and let out a loud roar of anger and threw the book at the floor viciously and stomped off like a raging rhino. I snickered, but I earned Arthur's immense glare of annoyance and then he walked off on me.

Leaving me alone with Nimueh and Valiant's followers (Brian, Leon, Dylan and Mike), I awkwardly stood next to Nimueh since she was only person I knew that wasn't _that _mean. She smiled at me and winked at me. I swear Nimueh's totally creepy sometimes.

"I'll introduce them," she began, "This is Brian," she pointed at the guy with silver streak in his head, "This is Mike," she moved onto the guy with spiked brown hair, "This handsome one is Leon," I noticed the lion like appearance of Leon, "And that's Dylan," she muttered at the dark skinned boy.

I'll go into further description. Brian was the boy with silver streaks in his originally black hair, light brown eyes and was excessively white. Mike was the guy with spiky brown hair that was jammed with gel, bluish-green eyes and tanned skin. Leon was the lion with the slight blonde moustache and a football player build and Dylan was the dark skinned African-American standing there in utter boredom. I must look like such a dork with them. They're all tough and fit while I'm this skinny, lanky person with these massive _ears_!

"Hey, sorry 'bout Val, he's a bit possessive of his possessions," Leon the lion explained with a nice soft tone, "I think you're Merlin right?"

"Yeah," was my simple reply, "You… You play football?"

I had no idea on how to start conversations, but Leon didn't seem to mind the question and answered with relative ease.

"Love it! My passion!" he said proudly, his whole image glowed gold, "You?"

"I like Literature and Art. Not much of a sporty kid," I answered casually, staring to the ground like it was the most interesting object in the world, "Valiant is a rather aggressive guy isn't he? Why is he like that?"

Now, I knew I was going into the danger zone. Personal things shouldn't the voiced out in public right? Well, I'm going to break that rule. Shuffling closer so he didn't have to speak loudly, I waited for him to answer. Unfortunately, he shook his head and said that he'd tell me later.

"I'll tell you after school OK? Meet you at the park," he said quietly while I nodded in agreement and watched him as he returned to his suspicious friends.

Even though I wasn't meant to eavesdrop, I heard Brian comment on my ears… Mike joked about how Leon had already begun hitting on me while Dylan laughed at how awkward we would be together. I felt a blush creep onto my cheeks when I heard Leon say, "He's a cute guy"

* * *

Three o'clock in the afternoon.

Arthur never did turn up for rehearsals after he walked off on me and now I'm waiting for Leon the lion to appear before my eyes with information. I wondered if Arthur knew a lot about Valiant and maybe he'd tell me his side of the story.

I sat on an old wooden bench by the side of a large cedar tree in the middle of the park. The twisted pathways sprayed itself with bits of freshly mown grass and a fountain overflowed with crystal clear water shimmering in the dull sun. The park was fenced off by black metallic fencing and massive bushes. Not far from the gate I spotted Lance and Gwen holding hands and entered the park smiling ear to ear. They finally got together.

I shrunk into my seat so they wouldn't notice me. The sound of crunching dry yellow grass distracted me and made me turn around on the seat. Standing in front of me was Leon wearing a light pink polo shirt and casually ripped up, baggy jeans. I looked down on myself; I was wearing my school uniform…

Leon coughed, "Umm… Hey"

I blushed in embarrassment, "Uh, sorry. I was… Spacing out"

He smiled softly, "Nah, it's alright. I should be apologising since I came late, you had to wait here for how long?" he asked in concern.

"I kinda… Uhh, waited for half an hour already…" I replied honestly, fidgeting (or playing with my thumbs) and cast my eyes away from his face, "I'm fine though. It is nice scenery here eh?" I changed the subject to prevent awkwardness, "About Valiant…"

"Oh! That's right!" he exclaimed as if he completely forgotten the reason why we were here. Sitting down he hesitated.

"You don't have to, you know," I reassured him, "I could always ask Arthur…"

Arthur's name made Leon jolt, "No! No! Don't even mention this to Pendragon OK?" he practically yelled, I took a step away from him, "Shit! Sorry… I kinda got frightened 'bout something, never mind. Forget I said that alright?" he quickly repented, his eyes begging me to forget.

I just nodded slowly. Letting out a sigh of relief as Leon began to talk normally again.

"Look there's this thing I need to tell you about Val"

He paused, I waited.

"He's gay"

No surprise there. I didn't say anything and patiently waited for him to continue.

"A-And… I think you should stay away from Pendragon or might get hurt both emotionally and physically," he warned, his eyes shifting everywhere except to my face, "There's something about Pendragon you should know… But I don't have the right to tell you…"

"What? What did he do?" I asked in curiosity and concern, "Tell me!"

"I-I can't!" Leon burst out and literally bolted from the seat and ran from me, "See ya tomorrow!"

I sighed. Rather than getting information about Valiant I got hints about Arthur and all these stupid secrets seem to be resurfacing. It felt weird. _What did he do? _But at the moment, where did he go after running from me at the rehearsals?

* * *

**_Thank you for reading and reviewing, I am grateful for all your patience and appreciation :)_**


	16. When All Was Good

_**Since my home computer died on me and my school laptop blocked Fanfiction, I apologise for updating extremely late. To make it up to you guys, I've written more in this chapter. **__**Cheers, I hope you enjoy it. :)**_

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* * *

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**When all was Good, March 20****th**

There were several things I would like to scream at Arthur about. Firstly, he had left me with Uther in the morning (not that I have anything against Uther, it's just that I didn't want to talk about business and future jobs with him). Secondly, he rummaged through my things whilst I was with his father (I fear what he found in my draws…). Last but not least, he stole my favourite plush toy, Rex, my toy horse. I know that I'm fifteen and that I still shouldn't be sleeping with toy horses or bears or anything childish really, but still… Arthur stole Rex away from me! I'm going to murder him when he returns home…

Momma was in the kitchen cooking lunch with Rosette. Apparently, some special people were coming over and she's pretty excited about it. I lay on my bed in boredom, flipping through my past drawings as a source of entertainment. Momma wouldn't let me downstairs and said that the feast would be a surprise. Uther told me that he wasn't in the mood to be playing with his son's friend and denied my offer to help him with his paperwork. Where's Arthur? Well, he said he was going to Lance's house to play on his new Wii game, I think it had something to do with Mario. So I had no option but to play by myself.

Outside the sun was killing everything around it with ultra violet rays. Even though it was spring here and it was suppose to be cold in Wales, it's amazingly warm today. I felt like I was sun bathing with my clothes on. There was a knock in the door that woke me from my near slumber. I got up and opened the door. Arthur was standing there with his hands in his pockets.

"What?" I managed to grunt out.

"That, is not a nice way to speak to you host," Arthur replied in the same pissed off tone.

I rolled my eyes, "When did you become my host?"

"Since you came into this house," he answered in a more aggravated voice, "Look, if you're still pissed off about that incident with the horse-"

"Of course I'm still angry about it! Rex is like my best friend since I-I was a little kid!" I nearly screamed, "I want to kill you…"

Arthur stared at me blankly for a second and burst out laughing till the point where he was almost rolling around on the floor clutching his stomach. I glared at him, stomping on his foot and marched back into my room and slammed the door shut in his face.

"Hey! Stop being a sissy and come out!" he demanded from the other side of the door.

"No," I refused to admit defeat.

There was a short silence and then the miracle words came to my overly large ears, "Rex… Is at Lance's place…" Arthur confessed.

"Why is he there? Weren't you meant to be playing Mario Kart with Lance?" I asked, leaning against the door frame.

"I was, but I thought it'd be more fun to have you there…" Arthur seemed to trail off and then he added loudly, "Just so we could see you lose!"

I sighed, "Fine, as long as I get to see Rex again…"

Opening the door fully, I noticed Arthur already heading off down the hallway. I called to him, he stopped but he didn't turn around. I wonder what was wrong…

"What's wrong?" I asked, reaching him and tried to meet his eyes (which was covered by his golden locks), "Come on, are you embarrassed?"

As if by magic I managed to see his face glow brighter in the million shades of red. I think he might have the fever, maybe that's why he came back, so I could keep Lance company. Yeah, that must be the reason… But for some reason I can't let that be the reason…

"Do you have a fever?" I asked in concern, putting my hand on his forehead, "Hmm… You're not burning"

"Shut up"

"Well fine then, I was only trying to help!" I lifted my hands up to indicate that I wasn't going to touch him.

He rolled his eyes at me and stomped off down stairs. I hadn't forgotten what momma told me, so once I got to the kitchen I shut me eyes and roughly grabbed onto Arthur's T-shirt which I think surprised his since he jolted and spun his whole body around just to remark.

"What on earth are you doing Merlin?"

I could feel his callous hands try to peel open my eyelids, but I only shook my head and brushed his hands away with my free hand. He did stop, only to hear momma come up to us and then shove us outside into the warmth. I let go of Arthur's shirt and opened my eyes. Light poured in and it was hard to see, everything was blurred and smudged.

"I didn't know you were that afraid of the kitchen," Arthur commented with a smirk forming on his face.

I didn't reply fearing he would make me look as much of an idiot than I was back inside the house. So, we arrived at Lance's place (which was only a couple of houses away) in silence. Lance was already outside on the front yard leaning against the fence. Arthur greeted him with a smile and I nodded as a greeting.

The front yard was really simple. There was nothing but yellow and green grass that surrounded the cement pathway to the house. There were no trees and the only thing tall was the giant pole sticking up into the middle of the yard. The house itself was plain too. I think it's made of white slates; there was a tonne of graffiti snaking all over it. From the looks of it, it was a one storey house and a tattered wooden door that stood close by the large window (which needed to be cleaned). There's a chimney standing out at the top of the navy blue roof. If you looked closely enough you could see a small nest with a large bird sitting on it.

"My house looks like shit doesn't it?" Lance remarked suddenly.

"No! It looks like any other house," I reassured, faking a smile, "Don't you agree Arthur?"

Arthur made no attempt to lie and just grunted, "It looks down right rotten"

Lance laughed and gave him a pat on the back, "That's Mighty Pendragon for you!"

"Yes, very mighty," I commented sarcastically.

We made our way into the house and the first thing I saw was the toy horse sitting alone in front of the TV with a Wii control in its mouth. And from the looks of it, I probably squealed with joy and ran up to the horse. Arthur and Lance were after all, staring at me like I was a crazy person that shouldn't be here.

"Is he always like that?" I could hear Lance whisper to Arthur.

"Only with me and that horse," Arthur remarked smugly, "He's been screaming at me because of that stupid horse, what's its name again?"

"I _do not_ squeal and run up to you when I see you! It's only _Rex _that I run up to; at least he's worth running up to!" I let out a heated retort.

Arthur gapped at me, "That is a _he_?" he seemed to be in shock since his mouth in hanging open like a fish.

"And his name is Rex!" Lance laughed out boisterously, "That's my dog's name!"

"You have a dog?" Arthur and I exclaimed.

Lance blinked; "Yeah…" he turned to Arthur, "I thought you knew that"

Arthur shook his head, "No, you only ever brought home that retarded cat… Wait… _That's _your _dog_?"

"Yep, my precious mixed breed!"

I laughed and turned to the Wii, "Aren't we going to play Mario Kart like Arthur told me?"

They glanced at each other and shrugged. I stared at them in confusion. Lance was the one to explain, "We thought since you'd be coming we'd go out to buy a game that you'd like since you're like not into this kinda stuff," I stared wide eyed at him, not into things like games, what was he talking about? I _love _games! Then he adds, "Arthur told me this so…"

I whipped my head at Arthur's direction and glared hard. All he did was whistle some kind of tune and shuffled behind Lance like a cowardly puppy dog. Lance appeared to be sweating as I prepared to throw the Wii control at Arthur's 'gorgeous' face.

"Don't you throw that _Merlin_…" Arthur warned, pointing at me.

Lance nodded in agreement. So, instead I replaced the control with the game disc cover and pegged it at Arthur. He dodged it by pulling Lance in front of him, Lance didn't seem all too happy when the plastic cover whacked him on the face…

"Now look what you've done!" Arthur accused, his eyes just glinting with smugness.

"Done what?" I asked innocently.

From the looks of it, Lance wanted to murder both of us and kick us outside. But that never happened. He came towards me and seated himself onto the carpet floor. I smiled at Arthur that looked a lot like a victory smile. Arthur rolled his eyes and sat down with us.

In regards of Lance's TV, it was a large plasma TV all black, smooth and shiny. The Wii consol was black as well, but the controls were white. He slipped the disc into the Wii consol and I marvelled at how the disc got sucked in. Arthur appeared to have noticed my interest and raised an eyebrow at me. I rolled my eyes and turned away. The TV screen began to light up in various colours like the rainbow and Lance cursed under his breath.

"A new TV and it's not working," he muttered, fiddling with the wires and plugs.

"Here," Arthur made way behind the TV and did some random adjustments with the wires. Soon the TV screen began to become clear, "Easy"

Lance rolled his eyes and lay back against the couch and pressed start on the Wii consol. Arthur smirked and in between me and Lance. We shuffled uncomfortably and made space for each other.

"I choose Mario," Lance announced, he handed us the round wheel like thing.

"What's this?" I asked, pressing the buttons on it randomly.

"It's a remote, well kinda like one," Lance explained shortly, then turned to Arthur, "I gonna beat you so bad this time"

Arthur gave him a look that said 'Oh really?' I laughed as he challenged, "We'll see about that"

The game began; there was this high pitch music, all robotic and game like. The whole game was _really _colourful, but it was pretty awesome. Arthur had chosen Yoshi, Lance kept his word and chose Mario while I was forced to choose Toad.

I didn't have anything against Toad. It was just that, he looked like a giant mushroom with a face and arms and legs… Something like a mutant mushroom…Overall he was pretty adorable (even if I don't really know whether this mushroom was male or female so I'll take a wild guess and say its male).

The thing was… I hate the start where we had to wait until we could drive. I mean it just makes me so nervous! Lance was smiling to himself as if he was already wining. Arthur appeared to be really bored staring at the screen as the number one was about to disappear. Then Lance jolted.

GO!

The words on the screen surprised me so much that I nearly fell over backwards. I quickly grabbed onto the wheel like control and began 'driving'.

"Hah, I'm gonna beat you!" Lance yelled over dramatically. Do people get this over excited?

Arthur scoffed; "Yeah as if, take that!" his character was shoving past Lance's Mario. Soon enough, he was surpassing him.

I was struggling so badly with this. There were a couple of roads I had to drive on, but the Arthur or Lance would be super competitive and literally push me out of the way. It sucked sitting next to Arthur because he never seemed to keep his arms in front of him, it was always shifting my way and in front of my face. That's when I got sick of it.

I forced my mutant mushroom – Toad – to drive full speed right at Mario and Yoshi. It was utterly fun throwing this weird stuff at them and watching them either falling off the road or tumbling backwards. Lance wasn't happy though because he was now at third place (last) and was thrusting things that resembled bombs at me and Arthur. He got me though and I nearly screamed out of frustration.

I could hear Arthur burst out laughing, and Lance's eye twitch out of annoyance as Arthur sped past him. The rest was kinda repeated, there were tonnes of yelling, screaming, curses and laughing. Lance fell off the road a lot and I kept getting smashed by Arthur by his 'bombs'. Lance and I were plotting to gang up on Arthur, so we both attacked him at the last minute of the game. Hence Yoshi tumbled over, leaving Toad and Mario to race to the finish line. I actually closed my eyes at this level and the sound of Arthur's deep voice rung in my head as he seemed to congratulate me unwillingly.

I opened my eyes slowly, "You won man!" Lance praised happily while Arthur sulked a bit.

I couldn't help but smile broadly. But my smile faltered when Lance gave me this massive bear hug and Arthur coughed awkwardly. I blushed and asked, "So, who won between you two?"

Lance gave Arthur a glance and smiled, "I did," he said triumphantly.

Arthur was grumbling and I was laughing, "Aw, Arthur is acting like a sore loser," I teased, subconsciously put my arm around his shoulders.

He froze, "I-I uh…" he seemed to have lost his words. He stood up and excused himself lightly so he could go to the bathroom.

"He must be shocked," Lance stated, "He never loses in games. To be honest he never really thought of you as a gamer"

I choked on air, "R-Really?"

Before he could answer, Arthur trudged back into the room, "We need to go," he reported, staring at me, "I got a call from father"

Something wasn't right, he was extremely pale and his lips seemed to be quivering. Lance gave us a nod and ushered us to the exit. He handed me Rex and smiled. As we bid him good bye, Arthur relaxed a little.

"You lied," I bluntly said.

He looked at me in shock, "How did you know?"

"Well, you look more relaxed," I noted, walking slowly, "Losing can't be _that _bad of a situation could it?"

"Nah, I just don't like losing to Lance, and the fact that _you _of all people won shocked me more," he answered honestly.

I nodded to myself, but the paleness of his face still remained. There was something scaring him but I wasn't sure what exactly. He glanced my way and muttered something that I thought could be profanity. I raised an eyebrow.

"Excuse me?"

"Nothing"

This hunch was nagging me and gnawing my insides as it screamed, '_he has a secret, he has a secret_'. I shook my head to get rid of the suspense.

"Do you want to rehearse for the Shakespeare thing tomorrow?"

Arthur stared at in confusion, "Yeah sure, but we have to kiss though…"

He was bringing that up again. Was kissing me at much of an issue? I sighed and met his walking pace as he stayed silent during the whole trip home.

* * *

Momma was standing with her hands on her hips as Arthur and I entered the house. The place smelt exquisite; pies, cakes and I think there was steak smoking in the kitchen. Growling erupted from Arthur's stomach.

"Sorry, I was hungry," he said blushing madly.

Momma smiled, "Ah I can see that. Well, are you two going to just stand there or have lunch with us?" she asked.

"We're having cake and pie for lunch?" I blinked as we slipped off our shoes, threw on the shoe rack and came into the party of smells.

"No, cake is for later," she laughed, "We have special guests, Rachael Green and Eleanor Lee," she introduced.

I assumed Rachael Green was the woman with the curly brown hair that reached her back like a waterfall, pale skin and deep honey brown eyes. Eleanor Lee was probably the Asian with straight black hair that was really thick but pretty and snow white skin. I smiled at them politely and shook their hands.

"I'm Merlin," I introduced.

Arthur cracked a seductive grin and said, "Arthur Pendragon"

"Pleasure to meet you," the women both cracked a smile, but not a seductive one.

Uther was standing by the table and was waiting for everyone to sit down. Momma told Rosette that she could sit with us, but Rosette told us that she was going to stir up the finest soup ever created. We couldn't help but laugh at her dramatisation.

We motioned towards the table and I sat down beside Arthur. He smirked at me as I rolled my eyes. The food was being placed on the tables as soon as we sat down. Eyeing the meal I realised, Rosette definitely did have something to brag about.

"I thought we should have Arthur's favourite," she cast him a wide smile, "Steak"

Plates of steak, onion, lettuce and tomato were being handed down the table. Uther thanked her as she strutted off back to the kitchen to stir her 'famous' soup. Momma stared at me expectantly; I knew I had to use my _impressive _table manners…

I didn't realise Eleanor was clearing her throat, trying to get my attention until Arthur gave me a sharp, painful nudge. I winced quietly and turned around to face her.

"Yes?"

She didn't say anything really, but just gave me a judgemental look and returned to her plate. I was confused, until I realised the fake fur brushing against my neck. Why didn't I go put Rex away? Arthur seemed to be suppressing a laugh as he chewed on his steak. I hoped he choked on it at the end.

I excused myself from the table. Rushing upstairs, I apologised to Rex as I roughly threw him on my bed and darted back downstairs where everyone was having a nice conversation about, anything really. I took my seat and started to eat.

Listening to the conversation around me I realised this time they were talking about this group or club called 'Victory Speech', it had something to do with leadership and Arthur's name surfaced often as well. Speaking of Arthur, his face was pale but not as ghostly as it was before. Pink shades formed on his cheeks whenever Uther mention the great things he did when he was younger. I couldn't help but tease him a bit after that.

"So… You like to jump up and down on people who have lost the game eh?" I was referring the soccer match he had when he was little, but I could tell he wasn't on the same page as me.

He let out an awkward cough, "That… Sounds really bad…" he whispered loud enough for me to hear.

I chuckled, "Really, want me to say it again," came my witty remark. Arthur jumped up.

Everyone stared at him, "I… Uh, I'm sorry," he apologised as he fell onto the chair quickly, sinking into it like quicksand.

He was pale before, now he was a bright red tomato ready to burst. He glared at me when I _tried _to cover my goofy smile.

"You find this so funny don't you?"

I wasn't going to lie, so I plainly said, "Uh huh"

After that, the room went silent and only the occasional singing from the kitchen could be heard. Arthur didn't seem hungry anymore and left the salad on the side untouched. I groaned quietly when I thought of eating anymore. Uther coughed loudly, gaining our attention.

"I would like to say, Arthur has been chosen to inherit my business," he said slowly, loudly and with authority, "The Dragon Company would love to have him as the new 'King' of the company"

Rachael and Eleanor didn't look the least surprised, but Arthur actually stood up from his chair so quickly that it fell over creating a loud bang against the marble floor. Uther seemed to know that this would be Arthur's reaction and sat there eyeing him while his son was seething with rage.

"I don't want to be the 'King' of the stupid company," he spat out, "I told you that already!"

Uther was about to argue back, but was only to be interrupted by Rachael Green who was watching Arthur's every move. She waited for him to calm down.

"You have no choice in this," she stated bluntly, "The Dragon Company has been with the Pendragons for generations"

"I know that already!"

"Yet you don't know that the company is nearly bankrupt too," she eyed him from under fringe, "We are suffering because another company beating us and our workers are slackers"

Arthur stubbornly stood his ground, "What does that have to do with me?"

"We need you to help us," she told him, "Or you'll lose everything"

"Is that a threat?" he questioned.

"Think of it as a threat if you wish, but this is in fact the truth"

The way she said everything so calmly was actually really intimidating. She kept on watching Arthur through a tantrum, but made absolutely no attempt to stop him. In the end he ran out of breath and gave up on protesting.

Uther sighed. There was this tension between all of us that frightened me. Momma looked down right depressed which was weird of her because she was normally such an easy-going person with an optimism that was contagious.

"Merlin…" She began with a haughty voice, "We can't stay here anymore"

Now this made Arthur one hundred percent snap into pure furious rage. Except he didn't say anything, all he did was harshly throw he chair out of the way and stomped up stairs like a bull. I couldn't take this in properly. I gave Uther s glance making sure this was wasn't some silly joke that some adults liked to pull.

Unfortunately, it wasn't.

It looked like I might be living on streets from now on…

* * *

_**Please don't murder me for doing this to Merlin, but a story isn't really fun when the main character is always happy yeah?**_

_**About Rex: When I first wrote about Rex, I was imaging my giant toy horse that I still have. It sleeps with me on my bed every night (because I didn't have a place to put it, so yeah…).**_

_**This chapter turned out to be longer than I expected lol. I still thank everyone for reviewing the story, much is appreciated. **__**J**_


	17. Two Months

**Two Months, March 21****st**

"Merlin let me in"

I wouldn't let anyone inside my room after the lunch meeting was over yesterday. Even today, I was struggling to understand why momma and I had to be kicked out. Apparently, it had something to do with the crisis Uther was having at Dragon Company. I remember Rachael bluntly saying that he couldn't waste his money on strangers, but Uther said we weren't strangers. Momma told me that it was her decision to leave because she thought we were causing too much trouble for Uther.

I couldn't disagree. We didn't do anything to help him in particular and he was feeding us, keeping us clothed and everything… But it sucked, I didn't even get a say in the situation. Arthur was cooped up in his room like I was and he wouldn't come out. It seemed he was annoyed at the fact that he had to take responsibility when he was only at the age of fifteen; he wasn't even a matured adult yet. I grunted as I rolled around on my – no – the bed. The curtains were drawn, and the room was dark.

Momma was still trying to convince me to open the door, but I didn't. I was happy there was a lock; otherwise I would have thrown something hard at the intruder.

"Go away," I managed to grumble out, but it hardly anything someone could hear. So the knocking and muffled voice continued.

Ignoring momma, I got up and flipped the curtain so I could see what was going on outside. I was so bored, there was nothing to do. My inspiration and passion for painting and drawing a picture wasn't surfacing and I was stuck with a blank mind. The book I was meant to be writing for Morgana and Gwen required too much organisation and thinking, I was thinking too much already and was far too lazy to write everything down.

So I continued being an utter slob and watched some kids play baseball in their front yard. I assumed they were around ten and nine, all boys, with the exception of the girl sitting at the sidelines cheering.

It used to be like that in Ireland. Will and I would go around pranking the girls and trying to catch fish in the river with our bare hands. We were eight at the time and Will began to take interest in this girl called 'Red'. Her hair was like a flame so that was her nickname; her real name though was Bridget. I was surprised at first because Bridget was said to be the goddess of fire, poetry and wisdom and this Bridget was very much like that. She was into poetry and loved to be considered wise; oh did I mention the flame hair?

Well, it kinda went strangely for her because Will was really weird and cheesy all at the same time that Red didn't quite follow him when he cracked a joke. She also considered him a massive idiot as well…

**Flashback:**

"_William you idiot! What do you think you're doing?"_

_Red was standing on the bank of the river, glaring down at us. Will rubbed the back of his neck nervously and pointed at me._

"_Merlin wanted to go fishing," he lied. I never wanted to go fishing in the first place! Just the thought of the slimy fish against my fingers made me shiver._

"_No I did-"_

_Red interrupted me before I could explain, "Oh, I see. Can I join in?" she asked curiously, fingering the cold water, "You better not drown me," she warned, her brown eyes darted to Will and then toward me._

_We lifted our hands and crossed our fingers, "We promise"_

_She smiled and technically bombed herself into the river, except, she didn't know how shallow it was and landed on her bottom. There was a rock underneath her and Will winced as he a trickle of blood slide down the rock. Red screamed and fainted, her head just whammed behind her on the muddy bank. _

"_Way to go Merlin," Will accused, "This wonderful lady have been knocked out"_

"_Hey! What did I do?" I exclaimed. He was blaming me again._

_It wasn't longer before Red was conscious again. The blood didn't come out anymore and Will had to check how deep the wound was. Yes, he had to flip a girl's skirt and see it. Unfortunately, that was when she woke up and slapped him straight across his 'lovely' face. He winced and glared at her._

"_What did you do that for?"_

_She stuck her tongue out, "For looking up a girl's skirt, pervert"_

_He gaped at her, "What? I am no pervert!"_

_I kept telling myself that he was denying it because he really was a downright perv, especially at school. Red scoffed and flipped her long red hair behind her. _

"_Oh really?" she challenged, "I want to see you try not to flip any girls' skirts for an entire year, you hear me?"_

_Will laughed like it was nothing, "Yeah, sure you've got a deal," he accepted casually._

_And that was the beginning of him losing the deal and getting slapped by Red. Later in the years, he fell for her and asked her out. She straight out, bluntly rejected him and squished his heart like a bug. _

_I learnt a couple of things from them. Never to ask Red out and never ever flip her skirt._

I chuckled at the memory. A sudden uncomfortable feeling began to kick in. I realised how much I missed my friends back in Ireland…

I wonder how Will was doing right now. I remember he had told me that he was _best, best _friend in the whole entire world when we were like six and how he would always, and I mean _always _stand up for me and joke around with the bullies. He knew I was a little different and he accepted it, but he was rather pissed off when Arthur entered my life when we were seven. He would whine at me saying, 'why are you always with Artie?' and of course, I'd roll my eyes and ignore him. I never really was with Arthur often back then because he had to leave early and dad had declined the business trip with him.

"Merlin Emrys get your ass out of that room or I'll charge!"

Wow, who knew momma could swear. I sighed and ran up to the door once I heard the stomping footsteps of momma. It usually went like this, she says she'll knock down a wall, she goes off and actually knocks down a wall, but that's only when she's in the worst moods. Kind of like right now.

I swung it open and momma was standing innocently in front of me. Although her face showed signs of lack of sleep and annoyance, she appeared to be fine.

"What's wrong Ma?" I couldn't be bothered to call her momma or mother anymore, so I might as well stick with 'Ma'.

"What's wrong? Why don't you answer the question for me," she retorted. I winced inwardly and exhaled.

"We're being left on the streets?" I shrugged like it was nothing, but honestly, I was twice as scared as she was, "Ma we're not going to die"

She gaped at me and cracked a smile on her youthful face, "I wasn't referring to that, even if I am frightened about it, I was talking you and locking yourself in it," she said with a laugh, then she became soft, "Look, I know this must be shocking but must you lock yourself in here? Arthur's worried about you"

"Isn't Arthur in his room as well?" I asked in confusion.

"No, he just came out to discuss things with Uther. Don't give me that face Merlin! I'm serious, Arthur was worried"

Arthur? Worried about _me_? Double wow, I mean really, I thought he'd be in his room sulking about the responsibility he had to take. Oh well, since Ma told me about this, I might as well make Arthur not worried and go downstairs like a good boy should. But seriously? I'm still shocked about Arthur.

The kitchen was quiet and empty unlike when it was when Rachael and Eleanor were here. There were no traces of any evidence that visitors were here either. I felt strange because the atmosphere almost sent chills down my spine. A zap of tension struck me when I peeked to see Arthur and Uther glaring at each other. Ma shook her head and shoved me lightly to meet them. Uther didn't even acknowledge my existence as I waved awkwardly. Arthur raised an eyebrow and shifted his gaze towards me.

"Merlin," he greeted.

"Arthur," I mimicked his formal gesture.

Ma wacked me across the head lightly and apologised for my immaturity and I swore Arthur looked like he was about to laugh. Uther though, didn't even budge from his previous expression. Like a statue he sat there with his arms clenched together and his head leaning against his knuckles.

The statue – Uther – spoke, "You can live for two months, if the Arthur and I can solve our crisis then you can stay further, but if it doesn't then I must apologise, you'll have to live somewhere else"

Arthur watched my facial expression as he slowly assured us, "It was father's idea. I pay no part of this," he gave me a glance and turned to Uther fully. They began discussing business. Wait, didn't Arthur say that he didn't want to inherit the company?

Ma gave me an apologetic look before rushing into the kitchen to accompany Rosette. So I was left standing there watching Arthur in confusion, but his father ordered me to technically 'piss off' because it was apparently a father and son bonding moment.

I headed outside to visit Morgana and Gwen. Normally weekends are a luxury, but nowadays it's just so boring. I hoped Morgana had a few games (well more like tricks) up her sleeves today.

* * *

"Tell me Merlin," Morgana's voice taunted me, "Why are you here?"

I was standing in front Morgana's house. Apparently, Gwen was out on a date with, what was that guy's name again? Oh that's right, Gwaine. From the looks of it, Morgana wasn't particularly happy about the date. She appeared to have thrown a fit only a few seconds ago.

"Should I leave?" I asked, pointing my fingers away from the house, "'Cause if that's what you want I can certainly live with it"

She let out a strange noise as she laughed, and I made a face that only made her crack up harder. She used her hands to let me in.

"You, never not make me laugh," she exclaimed, patting me on the back.

"Well, you were in a foul mood, so I thought you might have needed some cheering up," I explained happily, "Why were you so upset though?"

"Oh, remember how I told you about Gwen's date?" she began, calming down as we both made ourselves comfortable on the sofa, "I don't like him"

Ah, so I was right… "Did you tell her?"

"Tell her? No, no, she'd kill me if that was the case," her smile never faltered, "You still haven't answered my previous question Merlin"

I blinked, oh that one, "I was bored," I stated bluntly.

She didn't seem to believe me, "Really? Isn't Arthur paying any attention to you at all?"

"He is, but at the moment, he's having a father and son bonding time"

Morgana raised an eyebrow, her twinkled with amusement, "Bonding time that certainly doesn't sound like Arthur" she laughed out loud just at the image she was having, "Let me guess, was it _the_ talk?"

My mouth hung open wide, "I-I don't think it was…" then in a mere whisper, "I hope…"

If she could laugh any harder this would be it because she was already half falling off the sofa, "That poor bastard"

There was no sympathy in her words, "Come on let's go outside, I need to walk Artie"

I remembered Artie, the fluffy white Labrador pup that loved to order the others around. Yes, the one that resembled Arthur in the extremes. Morgana whistled and Artie sprung into the room, tackling me onto the ground. He gnawed at my shoes and bit my ankle.

"Ow!" I cried out, but made no attempt to shoo the pup away.

"Oh my god, Artie bad boy!" Morgana scolded, picking up the pup and glared at him, "What did I say about biting people's feet? That's right, you don't do it"

It was funny watching Morgana talk to Artie as if he could understand her every word. Actually, I didn't even know she did something like that in the first place! It also made me wonder if that was the way she treated Arthur when they were younger. She turned to me and apologised on her dog's behalf, I laughed and said it was fine.

When we put the leash on Artie's collar, we headed outside. Morgana's eyes were shifting side to side in anxiety. But she suddenly stopped.

"Arthur," she murmured as the blond motioned closer towards us. She quickly put back her poker face and smiled at him.

"Good day," she greeted, "I heard you had the talk"

Arthur raised an eyebrow and ignored her completely, "Merlin, we need to rehearse"

Morgana made a face, "You _still _haven't started?" she exclaimed while pulling Artie back.

We nodded in unison, "Yeah"

She sighed and waved her pale hand vigorously at us like we were annoying parrots. I rolled my eyes and walked off.

Morgana stared at me knowingly and smirks. I groaned and trailed on behind Arthur.

* * *

**Man, I must be boring you guys out… There will be action and romance kicking in soon, we just gotta wait… I thank emiliexox, fire dragonheart, momentshaveyou and tegan marie for reviewing either chapter 15 or 16 :)**


	18. Romeo and Juliet?

**Romeo and Juliet? **

Arthur had this strange attraction towards this overly old and large building. The Camelot Castle stood proud like it did spring, summer, autumn and winter, but it was becoming weaker and feebler by the minute as plants tussled about from the cracks.

"Why are we here?" I asked.

Arthur didn't say anything other than, "Just because"

We made it to the top of the castle, right on the roof tops. It was amazingly cold, breathtaking, serene and refreshing as the breeze brushes past my face like feathers. The town wasn't too far off, and I could see the church stick out at the centre while the little cottages huddled together around it. Mansions ruled the outer areas owning a lot of green land that was ambushed into petite gardens of flowers, roses and carnations. I could see our house just near the forest.

Honestly, Arthur's house wasn't like the mansions next door. They were tall and square; either cemented with bricks or painted cream. Uther and Arthur lived in a far smaller house that was white and stood out like a coin on the ground. Ma said he was the mayor and he also owned a company just so he could provide his son with the best. I reckoned it was very nice of him.

But Arthur thought differently.

He had mentioned that owning such good things were just going to ruin him someday. At the time I wasn't sure if I agreed or disagreed (I was somewhere in the middle), now though, I believed he was taking his father's kindness for granted…

Subconsciously I pointed out, "There's your house"

"Well yeah, I would know where my house is," he remarked, looking at me strangely.

"I was just pointing it out, jeez…" he was still staring at me the same way, "Hey! Don't look at me like I'm stupid!"

He blinks a couple of times, "I can look at you however and whenever I like," he commented with a sly smile, "And I think we've established the fact that you're nearly always an idiot"

"No we haven't!" I protested.

I was very uncomfortable under his gaze (I was the mouse and he was the cat) and shuffled a few centimetres away from him. It seemed he gave up intimidating me and turned to the view. I noticed the script sticking out of his jean pockets and wondered which scene Arthur decided to rehearse with me.

As if reading my mind he asked, "Which scene do you wanna rehearse?"

I really wanted to say the romantic scene, but that would _far _too embarrassing to voice out, especially when he already has a personhe likes anyway. So, I kept silent and shrugged half-heartedly. He sighed and pulled out the script and stared long and hard at the crinkled sheet of paper.

He began to read out loud:

"_If I profane with my unworthiest hand,  
__This holy shrine, the gentle fine is this:  
__My lips, two blushing pilgrims, ready stand  
__To smooth that rough touch with a tender kiss_," he seemed to struggle pronouncing half of the sentence and not stammering with confusion.

I just couldn't help but crack up, "G-Great job!"

He glared at me and retorted, "Let me see you do any better!"

I froze while he stood there leaning against the sandstone bricks and smirked in amusement, "Go ahead, I'm waiting," he teased, that smirk just never left his face.

"Umm…" I started off awkwardly:

"_Good pilgrim, you do wrong your hand too much,  
__Which mannerly devotion shows this?  
__For saints have hands that pilgrims' hands do touch,  
__And palm to palm holy palmers kiss_…"

I knew it was going to be the most embarrassing moment of my life, because Arthur was staring at me with his mouth reaching the ground. I had read it out like it was normal English and Arthur wasn't ready to admit that I surpassed him in something. But even if I did read it fluently, I hardly knew what Juliet even said.

"What are they talking about?"

Arthur groans, "They're courting each other, well, more like Romeo is courting Juliet. I really don't feel like being Leonardo DiCaprio…"

"So… He's flirting…The old fashioned way?"

"Well, yeah…"

I could feel the atmosphere tensing at the word 'flirting'. Arthur let out a nervous cough and covered his eyesight with the script, "It's hard to rehearse without the others," he grumbled randomly and continued to read:

"_Have not saint's lips and holy palmers too_?"

Even though it was only a short sentence, he acted it out with a lot of emotion. Emotion that I didn't really want to go near at all… But it was tempting…

"It's your turn, hurry up," he ordered, shattering my fantasies.

"Alright, alright"

I continued as Juliet:

"_Ay, pilgrim, lips that they must use in prayer_"

I sounded so different there. It shocked even me. I reminded myself of Sophia and how Arthur was meant to love her and all, so I could calm myself down from remembering how Juliet was suppose to be flirting with Romeo. Arthur took a deep breath and exhaled, it was annoying that he was now holding the script and I didn't know what was on the script that was bothering him.

"What's wrong?" I questioned.

"Nothing," he shook his head in reassurance, and he continued:

"_O, then, dear saint, let lips do what hands do._

_They pray; grant thou, lest faith turn into despair_"

I quiver, taking the sheet from Arthur who was getting redder and redder.

"_Saints do not move, though grant for prayers' sake_"

Arthur did take back the paper and shot out, "_Then move not, while my prayer's effect I take_-"

Our lips made contact. Heat rushed up against my mouth as soft, dry ones smothered mine. I was dazed, what was going on? Before I could gather up what was happening, our lips parted and cold air patted my lips and the lingering taste of lemon tea remained.

He softly whispered his lines out into my ear, "_Thus from my lips, by thine, my sin is purged…_"

Words, they couldn't escape my mouth. I was so surprised by what happened that I couldn't manage to speak out one letter. His head hung, staring at the ground so his blond fringe drooped like those of a curtain. I saw crimson rose petals against his cheeks. Our hearts were plummeting, something so small, it was driving me insane.

"A-Arthur…" I trailed off. I couldn't see properly, everything was smudged and blurred as I reached out for him.

A soft finger brushed against my cheek, tingles of electricity vibrated all over me. I tensed automatically. Arthur pulled his finger away and suddenly disappeared altogether. I couldn't see his blurry retreating figure and his warmth; his lemon scent eluded me, pulling away from me. I desperately tried to grab for the scent, for him. Please don't run, come back…

Shades of blond vanished into the darkness inside the castle. The script crunched in my other hand, I read what was coming afterwards on the other page. Softly, I read to myself:

"_Juliet: Then have my lips the sin that they have took.  
__Romeo: Sin from thy lips? O trespass sweetly urged!  
__Give me my sin again…_"

I hated feeling rejected. I wasn't sure if he was playing along with the script or just trying to humiliate me. No matter how many times I thought about it, there was no way Arthur would have feelings for me. Besides, he's in love already…

* * *

The house was empty. Rosette left a note on the door telling me that she was out with her fiancé and Ma had went grocery shopping for her. I assumed Uther was busy with his business outside town and Arthur, well, I don't know he went.

It was damp inside, and when I said damp I meant dark and dull. Silence was eerie as I trod my foot inside. I immediately retreated to my bedroom and laid on my navy-blue bed to reflect on the previous incident. Ma had always said, I wasn't the type of child who'd get upset about unimportant things and I was always smiling and happy. But Arthur brought out this side of me I couldn't understand. Why was I so insecure with him sometimes? Why did I feel like hurting something just because he ran away?

Why?

That simple question had so maybe varieties of answers. I thought about Sophia. She had a pretty face, a petite body and I guess, pretty eyes too, but I couldn't see what Arthur saw in her. I really couldn't.

High-pitched melodious ringing called for me to pick up. I heaved myself off the bed and grumbled about privacy. The phone was (to my relief) was on a small table in the hallway near my room. I picked up to cream phone.

"Hello? Pendragon residence"

"Man you sound so formal Merlin," the voice hit me hard on the head.

"You got a problem with it Will?" I smiled broadly; I had missed my best friend's joking voice, "How's it going at your end?"

"Oh, you don't know how much I'm enjoying it over here!" he kidded, "Nah, it's normal, ya know the everyday stuff"

I could sense he was hiding something, "Spit it out"

Will played innocent, "What? I've got nothing in my mouth!"

"Spit. It. Out," I persistently ordered without any anger seething, "Don't tell me…"

"Ahem, you told me 'spit it out' and now you don't wanna know, dude, make up your mind!" he was raising his eyebrow, I just knew it.

"No, I meant, don't tell me that you and Red-"

"I wasn't planning to tell you," he said hurriedly, he sighed, "Yeah…"

"Wow"

"Yeah, I know eh? You'd think she'd kick my arse before I even opened my mouth," I laughed, imaging him shaking his head absent-mindedly on the other line, "Hey! Don't laugh! I could be in serious danger here!"

"Your fault"

There was silence and I immediately knew he was death glaring me. I smiled to myself, he just never changed, and he was always the same witty and dramatised self. I wondered how he managed to catch Red, she used to think of him as irritating, but then again, she did mention that he was cutely immature to me. So who knew, they might be made for each other. Honestly, I was slightly envious of Will. Red was independent and picky, yet he caught her.

"So…" he began, "You and Artie?"

I choked on clear air, "W-What?"

He made a 'pfft' sound with his lips, "You know, you and Artie, going well?"

Did he know? I hoped he didn't know about my sexuality, yes, I was still a closet case, but what could I say? I didn't want to creep out my best friend, "Uhh… We're fine, I guess"

"I guess?" Will mimicked dumbly, "Something's up yeah?"

I didn't want to tell him, even if he was my closest friend… "Nothing big really"

Will obviously heard right through me, but made no move to pressuring me into confessing. His voice was ruffled as he pointed out that Red was here with him. I laughed; I remembered how I used to envy her because Will had always spoken about her with that twinkle in his eyes. Now it was like a funny joke.

"Hey, Merlie!" I grumbled a 'hi', I really didn't like the nickname she out of nowhere gave me. I didn't think I mentioned to you that Red was the _only _one who knows about me being a closet case. She promised she wouldn't tell.

"Aww, don't give me that grumpy attitude!" she whined, Will snickered in the background.

"Sorry, I just didn't-"

"Like the name? Yeah, I know how much you hate it," so, she was purposely calling me that.

In the end we had a good laugh and Will was put back on.

"Hey man, Mum's back, I think we should go now, sorry _Merlie_," he chuckled.

"Hey Will! Will? Will you better have not hung up on me! WILL!" I technically squawked over the phone. Unfortunately he replied like this:

Beep, beep, beep…

Great, I've got a nickname.

"Merlie, are you serious?"

Oh no, "Arthur, what's up?" I didn't look at him in the eyes, fearing what would happen if I did, but I couldn't help but possessively ask, "Where did you go?"

He lost his voice for second but recovered quickly, "Nowhere," he replied, his eyes darting to the left every now and then.

I could tell he was at Sophia's. He stank of flowery perfume and his lips were a little puffy and red. I was hurt. How could he? Out of anger, and vengeance, I motion forward and smiled at Arthur innocently. He was fixated on the spot and appeared to be indecisive about running or staying.

"_You kiss by th' book_," my haunted whisper ghosted into Arthur's ear.

I grabbed his shirt and pulled him in, I was about to plant a kiss, but he looked terrified, anxious. His breath was calm to panting, his eyes wide and pupils small. This wasn't the reaction I wanted. This was not supposed to happen. I forcefully pushed away and shoved past him and ran to the bathroom.

I should have known. My role wasn't meant to be Juliet.

* * *

**I thank everyone for reviewing and story alerting I appreciate it :). I know Arthur's a bit (well not just a bit) bipolar and strange, but there's a reason for everything :). **


	19. The Change of Destiny

**The Change of Destiny, March 23****nd**

School again… The thought dreaded me as I enter the towering black gates and into the deserted hallway of the drama room or assemble room. It was still as dusty as ever and the fact that I was here five o'clock in the morning made me look suspicious. It was dark and the moon glinted dull light through the rosed coloured windows. The wooden floor creaked and I slid upon the black stage.

Maybe I was hallucinating. I had thought Arthur was sitting at the very back of the room. Watching me, calculating my next move. I shivered subconsciously. I had a hunch, a hunch that there were some clues hidden in these rooms. I knew Arthur wasn't really himself, he mentioned a car crash and how it affected him. Yet, somehow, I didn't understand how Ma could cover up such a traumatising incident and pretend it was just a bad dream.

I pondered over and over about seemingly nonsense information. Bending over, I harshly sat down cross-legged. My bag was tossed behind me and my shoes were placed beside it. I thought about the dragon. How on earth can a dragon exist? Where had my logic gone at the time? Too many questions with too many variables.

But there was a dragon. And he called me, _Emrys._

Roughly twirling and dancing my fingertips against the stage floor in front of me, flashes of Arthur's kiss and his rejection strike at me as if mocking me with black humour. I flung my head forwards to drain out the memory. I knew, Arthur wasn't supposed to be that cowardly, I didn't know why, but I knew.

Clang! A sudden echo of a metal pan smashed against the ground vibrated. I forced myself upright and grabbed for my bag. It wasn't there.

My belongings disappeared.

I jumped off the stage. Bearing with the prickles on the ground stabbing at my feet like vicious piranhas, I rushed to the door. I had to get to the knob before anyone (or _anything_) else did. Like I said before, I didn't know why, but I knew.

Clang, clang, clang! It just kept getting, louder and louder. I desperately wished I had interrupted Arthur's beauty sleep so he'd join me, but I didn't want to put him in an awkward position of remembering _that _incident.

So I manned up and went alone. Oh, how that was a bad mistake…

The door hinge was stuck and I couldn't break open, I cursed and made my way to the back door. The sharks attacked my feet again and I whimper to myself that I'd remember to always wear shoes into the drama room. The back door was open, I could tell because of the dull light shining through. I didn't care why it was open; as long as I have liberty I'm happy. As I was about to shuffle my way out the exit a shadow loomed behind me.

I tensed. The shadow morphed and in the end I felt wet liquid dripping from my head and a pair of callous yet strong hands grip my torso and lift me up into the air. I couldn't feel anything afterwards. My brain was literally numb and the only thought left in my mind was, '_I wish I hadn't come here in the first place…'_

* * *

Sunlight killed me. My eyes squinted from the sudden slap of golden rays. I was in bed, woollen blankets draped around my skinny body as if it were a protection. I explored the room. It was like any other ordinary room; cream walls, a wooden desk, drawer with a weird shaped lamp on it and some photographs. A small framed family photo was lying alone next to the lamp. I picked it up like I would with china glass.

A black haired boy was standing in the middle holding up a giant tuna while this blonde boy was rolling his eyes at the other boy. I chuckled; it was exactly how Arthur would talk to me. I drifted my eyes over the picture of little Arthur and smiled to myself. He was adorable. Blond hair sticking out everywhere, his normally pale face flushed bright red from the sun, and his blue eyes glittered with amusement. I peeked at the boy who looked like me (the one in the centre); I wondered why I didn't remember this. Slipping the photo from the frame, I accidently found a poem written behind it.

The ocean, beach and sun,

You sit there all alone,

I drag you to the open to have fun,

You smile for me and it matched my own,

Please recall that memory,

Remember the first kiss granted in your sleep,

I'm a fish hooked in this love story,

Until you return to me I'll continue to weep.

I raised my eyebrow; I didn't who wrote the poem and who it was referring to. Flipping the picture again, I noticed there was another boy (around his teens) standing next to me and wore a broad smile with his pearly whites shining. Wavy dirty brown hair that reached his neck flew around wildly. There was a pang of realisation, but I didn't remember his profile or anything…

The blanket started to consume heat and my legs were sweating majorly. I grabbed the blinds and forced them shut before my pale skin began burning. There was a light knock on the door, I quickly put the picture back into the frame and placed it back down.

Behind the gap of the door and wall, was a man around his mid twenties. He had dark dirty brown hair that reached his neck… Wait… The boy from the picture! I stared wide eyed at the guy as I tried to recall memories like the poem asked the reader to do. The handsome guy raised his eyebrow and smiled softly.

"Hey, you don't remember me do ya?" he asked, pulling out a miniature clock from his pocket, he added, "You don't need to go to school today"

I had a mental blank, "School… What I had school- Oh crap! I forgot what time it is!" I began panicking, "The first act is on today!"

The guy stared at me in confusion, "What act?" he questioned.

I sighed, "Why did you bring me here?" I ignored his question as I remembered the shadow that hit me just a while ago, so I assumed the suspect was the guy standing in front of me. He seemed to disagree though, I could tell through his lost eyes.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he said, trying to recollect his memories, "All I remember was that you were being carried by this blonde from Peterson High and then that teenager saw me and dumped you on the ground, pleaded sorry and ran"

"Ran? Seriously, who are you?"

The man didn't laugh or anything, just said in a laid-back manner, "A cop"

Now I knew why the kidnapper ran, "Name?" I asked casually.

He cracked a smile and replied, "Gwaine, pleasure to meet you again"

"Again?" I casted him a confused gaze and he smiled broadly.

"Merlin, don't tell me you forgot your precious teenage uncle, 'Uncle Moustache', it wasn't my fault that I didn't find shaving cream for shaving," he reminded, his eyes just twinkled with joy of seeing his little 'kid'.

Except, I didn't remember, my mind was half a book contained with blank pages. I was so confused. From Arthur to Ma, now Gwaine? What else did I not recall? I was pondering whether Will and Red knew the other half of memory that was missing from my head. If they did, they hid it well.

I realised, Gwaine still didn't answer my first question.

"How did I get here?" I tried again.

He sighed, "Look Merlin, I'd prefer it if you moved from Pendragons' house now. And when I say now, I mean _now_," he advised seriously, "He's not good for you, and if you think he's going to protect you, well, he won't"

"Why?" I asked with fury, "You can't just randomly bring up how Arthur can't be trusted! I asked you how I got here!" I raised my voice.

Gwaine face palmed himself, "Alright, Leon brought you here, now you're happy?" he confessed, but my blue eyes was still questioning, "He was with me at the time and helped me carry you to my house, he caught the blonde too"

The word 'blonde' caught me this time, "Blonde?" Why did he continue to bring up the person's hair colour unless… "You think the guy was Arthur don't you? Why would Arthur follow me to school five o'clock in the morning and then punch me and kidnap me?"

"I never said it was Arthur," he clearly said, "The kidnapper was a woman not a guy, seriously, her hair was long and she wasn't that tall, reddish blonde hair kinda"

There was a tingle inside my gut that screamed out a name that I couldn't hear. But my intuition kicked, nagged, yelled in my ear yet I was clueless. All I could make out was _Sofa_ and I had no idea what a sofa had anything to do with this. So I ignored its kicking, nagging and yelling.

I eyed Gwaine as he walked up to the white closet and took out my bag and shoes. He also pulled out another pair of shoes, a purple striped button up shirt, and baggy jeans. Tossing me a large pair of sunglasses, he exited the room without uttering anything and just told me to change.

It took me quite some time to choose to rebel or not rebel. In the end, I was obedient and came out of the bedroom in his clothes.

It was a one storey house, so there wasn't a hallway and the walls were all cream. Wooden flooring replaced carpet and reflected the light; everything here was at least old or made of timber. I found myself in living room (the bedroom door was just behind me). The analogue TV relaxed on the bench top were the DVD's and videotapes were stacked like dominos. A dirty, brownish yellow couch leaned on the back wall under the blinded window, blue and red cushions piled together beside the couch staring at the TV. There was a large distance between the two objects and a Persian rug flattened in the middle. Antiques were ancient and there was a coin collection hanging on the wall next to the door to the next room. I chuckled to myself. I didn't think Gwaine was the type of person to collect things.

I had to admit, I didn't like stepping on wood, and every time I set foot on it I felt cold. I opened the door to the other room. Leon was sitting by the table talking to Gwaine with a passionate voice. I tried not to interrupt them as I observed this room.

Cream walls again and wooden floors. I thought to myself that this house was rather plain. The table stood in the idle of the spacious room and a desk covered with paperwork was hiding at the corner near the door. There were two large windows with blinds and tiny pot plants sunbathing on the window stool. The kitchen seemed small from my angle and it was open to this room. There was the front door at the far left next the window and behind Leon. Shoes were scattered there and I shook my head in shame.

"Judging the house?" it wasn't a question, more of a statement.

"You have a problem with it?" I asked impulsively in a smart-ass way that nearly sent Leon to the laughing fit.

"It's not _that _funny!" I exclaimed.

Sensing my offence, he stopped and stood up, "I'll leave him to ya then"

With that, he left and scuttled to the direction of the school.

"The boy walked funny," Gwaine commented randomly, "Anyway; I need to show you something"

He picked up his shoes, slipped them on and literally dragged me with him. He didn't say much during the walk to wherever, instead of initiating conversation, I followed my habit of seeing everything.

The street was crowded, quite a lot of people gathered around for things on sale. Mostly women were hurrying around place to place like busy bees, their heels tapping wildly like those of a distracted orchestra. Peterson High was only two streets away and some of the late students dashed across the red lights. Buildings were old and not so tall. Merchants, traders and sales people non-stop offered things to Gwaine and from the expression on his face; he was pretty pissed off about it.

Up ahead, there was a roundabout with a bronze statue of a King Arthur gripping onto the sword wedged in the stone. I noticed a large lake up ahead and a long, _long_ bridge leading to the other side. Beeping cars, coughing mini vans, loud small trucks and calm pedestrians were going to and from it. I never knew this side of town. I guess this was what the west part of Camelot town was like. And the castle was located at the east.

A dark green sign pointed towards the lake, and in bright yellow texts it said 'Lake Freya'. A legend had said that a woman named Freya was set a flame on the waters of the lake and that she would watch over this town. I never knew whether this was true or not, but they did say archaeologists discovered a skeleton in the waters.

Gwaine pulled me to a sharp turn away from the lake and continued walking. I grumbled to myself about his assertiveness. He didn't hear me and then made another abrupt turn to a shop labelled, 'Charlie's Café'. We entered and the dinging of the bell above me rang. There were few customers and a youthfully old woman strolled towards us with a certain bounce to her steps. We greeted her while she smiled warmly.

"Welcome to Charlie's Café, how may I help you?"

Gwaine rolled his eyes, "Enough with the welcoming. I need to see Miranda, Charlie"

Charlie's pale green eyes widened, "Miranda? She's sick, the poor dear"

I guess this was an urgent situation because Gwaine was being extremely blunt and rude to Charlie. But Charlie on the other hand, insisted that he should go away and return when Miranda was well again.

Unfortunately, he didn't give up and some of the customers watched us with interest and amusement. I sighed and barged into the argument.

"We would like to see Miranda today," I concluded, "Whether she is sick or not, we will not push her too far, we promise you that"

Charlie heaved out a sigh of defeat, "Alright, follow me"

She waved her hand lazily at some of the waitresses and they quickly went back to work. A door was facing us when we passed the kitchen were the chef was joking about. She opened the door and watched us make our way up the stairs. When she closed the door, I couldn't hear she happy footsteps and the dimly lit staircase was suffocatingly hot.

"Who's Miranda?" I asked just as we made it to top and a door that looked like a prison cell door glared at us.

He opened it and there laid a young girl sleeping, no more than seven or eight. Long golden hair and dark olive skin contrasted well. She heard the creaking and turned her head.

"Gwaine?" she whispered softly.

He smiled to himself, "Mira!" he said excitedly, and his legs automatically went up to her, "I've brought a guest"

She sat up, her eyes still shut, "Merlin yes?"

I choked back a gasp, how did she know who I was? "Yes"

Although her eyes were closed, she faced me precisely and echoed, "I've seen much of you"

"Really?" I had the urge to ask her the questions flowing through my head. I felt the knowledge she had and that she contained all the answers. Like why was Arthur still unpredictable and moody, even if he told me the reason before? What happened at the car accident? Where did Ma hide the information? How did this get hidden with me being so oblivious? Did Will know?

Miranda's eyebrows perked upwards in concern, "You're troubled… Too many questions harboured within you"

Gwaine sat down beside her and said nothing. I stuttered out, "Y-Yes, I'm confused…"

She gave me a reassured grin and echoed:

"Your destiny has changed"

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**Hey, I kinda updated eariler than anticipated lol, once I finished I was kinda excited on putting it up so... Hope you guys enjoyed it :). As always, I am grateful for the faithful and some new/current reviewers, emiliexox, momentshaveyou, DinoAua, fire dragonheart, Magpie1600 :)**


	20. Infatuation is a Cigarette

**_Warning: Smoking (From the title): Anyone who reads this chappie, please remember smoking ain't good for ya :)_  


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**Infatuation is a Cigarette**

I stared at Miranda. Her eyes were still shut, but for some reason she stared at me through her eyelashes. Gwaine didn't look confused at all, he looked totally lost… She patted her hand on the soft blankets indicating me to join her on the bed. I made my way up to her cautiously. Gwaine rolled his eyes and just shoved me forward.

"You fear me," she pointed out in a mere whisper, "It's OK"

I burst out from impulse, "I don't understand! What do you mean by _destiny_?"

Like seriously, that destiny stuff only existed in the medieval period and then disappeared. Right…? I clenched on the dull blanket. I remembered those flashes back at the castle only a couple of days ago, but I didn't think they meant anything.

She inhaled deeply and a slit of her long gold lashes brushed lightly against her cheeks. I eyed Gwaine in question; he didn't return my gaze and stared outside the window whistling in thought.

"In the past, your destiny was to protect the Pendragon prince yes?" she asked me rhetorically, "Now, your fate is to find something that belongs to you, someone will guide you to that very treasure. Unfortunately that thing is dysfunctional and lost itself. It is still roaming, searching, for its own silver lining; it is your fate to guide it"

I thought to myself. From protecting to guiding, it's just like telling a military leader that had suffered so much to become a preschool teacher. And that 'it' I didn't know whether 'it' was a girl or guy or if it was an object or an organism.

She smiled at me and calmly said, "It is closer that you think"

Closer than I thought it would be. But that thing is still roaming, but where exactly? I toned out of my constant questions in my head and asked her about the accident everyone around me (except Morgana and Gwen) was gossiping about. I couldn't remember anything that linked to this crash and as I ranted, Miranda's eyebrows crossed and she nodded in agreement. She gets out of the bed, revealing her full, short, chubby figure.

She pointed outside the rectangular window above her, "You must search further and higher for the true answer to that question. Nobody around will answer it better than 'it'"

I assumed the 'it' was flying about somewhere, but then I realised how stupid the thought was in the first place. Gwaine took a glance outside and he seemed shocked about something. I apologised for intruding, and stood on the bed with him and peered out the clear glass window. At first the light was blinding and blue rays flashed, but eventually it vanished like lightning would and there he was, Arthur Pendragon wandering about.

Was Arthur the one I was meant to guide? I shook my head in denial, no way, he had Sophia and speaking of her, she was trotting along behind him and swiftly danced into his arms as he snaked his arm around her petite waist. I heard Gwaine scoff and snort a loud piggy snort as he pinched the bridge of his nose. I laughed, yet I felt this rip through the heart and that tear was cold and frozen. I hid it well.

"You've got competition," I heard Miranda point out with a smirk on her innocent face, her arms crossed as we looked down on her making her appear smaller.

Just as I was about to say I didn't feel _that _kind of emotion for Arthur, Gwaine barged in and sneered, "That little brat hasn't changed at all!"

I jumped off the bed, leaving him to chant on about how Arthur was this annoying kid who wouldn't stop trailing after him and protecting me. I found that amusing because the Arthur I knew now was hardly that possessive, for all I knew he was a coward.

"He was a little warrior and a proud idiot!" he concluded, beating his chest once in pride, "Yet he was the most irritating charmer known to the universe"

We laughed at that. I thanked Miranda for helping me lining up the clues of half my life. Gwaine had decided to come with me and suggested to stalk Arthur and Sophia. After all, he was meant to go to school today.

"Are you serious?" I asked as we exited Charlie's Café, bid Charlie farewell and followed the footsteps of the two blondes.

He seemed to be in ponder, "What's wrong?" I asked over the top of the roaring motors and over the top chattering.

"That girl he was with," he stopped for a second to recollect his analysis, "She's the girl who tried to kidnap you…"

I choked, "Sophia?"

That was no way. Seriously, think about it, how was Sophia (a frail girl) able to drag me out of the drama room herself and knock me out? That was a plain insult to me and my pride! He didn't get the point of my hard stare and cocked his head up and ran his hands through his thick mass of hair. He turned to me.

"You, you're from Ireland yeah?"

"Yep"

"Fancy going to the Lake?" he offered, "I heard Irish people are use to the cold and that lake's an iceberg"

So, we took another turn and trod our way to the lake. It wasn't long before Arthur's head was bobbing about under the bridge and into the chilly, blue water. Sophia's red bikini and yellow sun hat was nice and stood out perfectly. There wasn't a crowd by the bank, but there were people enjoying themselves in the cold, even if there was a dead person found in there and that it was already autumn. I sniffed smoke coming from under the bridge where Sophia would be and set my way up to that smell till it was toxic.

"Kids shouldn't be smoking"

Sophia flips her large sunglasses down a little and peered from under her strawberry blonde fringe. Her cigarette was trapped in between her two fingers as she puffed out white smoke from her mouth and gave Gwaine a sly smile.

"And who do you think you are to tell me what to do?" she retorted yet it sounded more like purr from a Persian cat.

He glared at her, "I'm a policeman, unless you wanna go to gaol then that's fine with me"

She instantly dropped her cigarette and stomped on it with her white sandals. Her piercing blue eyes strikes at Gwaine with aggression. I hid my chuckle but that was soon diminished into ash when Arthur lifted himself out of the water with his hair sticking to his forehead and water dripping from head to toe. He was in his swimmers (which I've never seen); they were navy blue and had neon blue fire trailing around at the bottom. Everything was cool blue about him that drove me a little to the edge.

He smiled his crooked smile at Sophia and rubbed his eyes. She strutted up to him, bringing her beach towel with her and wrapped it around him gently. I felt a pang of jealousy punch my heart. He didn't notice us until Sophia mentioned Gwaine and he turned his head to my direction and there it was, his smile faltered.

A blush crept onto his cheeks.

Gwaine rose his eyebrow, "Well, ain't that interesting," he muttered. I was tempted to punch him rock hard on the face for muttering that.

Arthur seemed to be frozen on the spot and trailed his gaze from me to Gwaine and back to me. I could sense his uncertainty and smiled at him. The scent of Sophia's cigarette was gone and had only left a flattened bud on the ground. I stared at it to avoid staring at Arthur any longer.

"Come on Artie!" Sophia whined as she pushed him forward, "Man up!"

He glared at her once she said 'man up' which I couldn't help but agree with her on. So, he obediently trudged to our direction and stood in front of Gwaine, half slouching and half up straight. I emitted a soft cough from anxiety and smiled lightly at him.

"You… Don't know how embarrassing that is to have her to tell me to 'man up'" he scowled at me, but without any real remorse.

I just shrugged half-heartedly and turned away, "Well, don't blame me. She's coming this way, you better consult it with her buddy," I teased.

He glared and looked up at Gwaine, "You really work for the police?" he questioned, his eyes judging, "Don't look like it at all"

"Never judge a book by its cover," Gwaine simply said, "And if I were you, I'd go home now," he took a glance at his watch (which I didn't realise was there until he pulled up his sleeves), he privets my way, "You too"

I suppress my urge to groan, I didn't want to walk home with Arthur, let alone have Sophia tag along. Gwaine sensed my distress and rolled his eyes, "You girly"

Sophia eyed him, "Yes?"

"No stalking"

She stared wide eyed at him; her mouth hung open reaching the ground, "I _do not _stalk! Who do you think I am? A freak?"

He thought for second, "Would you be offended if I agreed?"

"Excuse me? You bastard!" she threw her sunglasses at him and stormed off like a thunder cloud. Gwaine just sighed and picked up the glasses.

"What a waste of good glasses," he shook his head.

I was about to say something, but Gwaine glared at me saying 'the brat is running away' and I turned around to find Arthur already dressed in his casual black trousers, and collarless white shirt and was drifting away into the rattling crowd on the streets. I felt a push from behind and I ran after Arthur without even uttering a bye to Gwaine. I reminded myself, I will find that cop later on.

Assuming it was already three, I made my way through the tussled crowd and to the eastern direction where the castle was looming and watching from the distance. I didn't know what came over me, but I had an overwhelming urge to go inside and search for Arthur there. I tiptoed above the mass of people, tolerating with some impatient ones who shoved and pushed like crazy bulls. A blond spot was only a few metres away and I impulsively trailed on after it.

'_It's your duty to guide it and help find its silver lining' _

I scoffed at the thought because honestly, it was more like I was the one being guided or lead or whatever and finding the silver lining for something I'm not sure even existed, I wasn't too keen on that. Actually now that I thought of it, I realised I was too trusting to everybody around me and was so naïve towards my environment.

Finding my voice I yelled out despite the humility, "Arthur where are you?"

There was no response and the yellow dot became smaller and smaller. Disregarding the crowd's judgemental stares, I rushed after it again, pushing and forcing my way through. And there is was, the tall castle gates welcoming me inside. I didn't think twice and entered, my intuition guided me to Prince Arthur's chamber where Arthur himself explained the car crash to me. Without knocking, I went inside.

"Haven't you heard of knocking?"

I froze. Arthur was sitting on the study table facing outside towards the sight of the courtyard. His back was hunched as he played with his fingertips. The smell of foul smoke invaded my nostrils as I motioned closer towards him.

"Do you smoke?" I asked, sitting next to him and eyed the long white cigarette tangled among his fingers.

He shook his head, "Sophia, she offered me some, so I thought it would be cool to try it"

"It's gonna kill you, you know!" I scolded, immediately snatching the cigarette from his hands, "You're not smoking while I'm still alive!"

He rolled his eyes dramatically, "What are you, my mother?"

I sneered at him, "Of course Arthur, I'm you mother," I retorted sarcastically.

Blue eyes shaded grey as he casted them towards my hands. He didn't make a comeback and just scanned his eyes up and down my figure. I shivered a little and he turned away, returning to the courtyard outside. The cigarette in my hand burned me, but I made no move to yelp out in pain. I just stared outside with him.

Speaking of mothers, I've never seen Arthur's, "You're mother, where is she?"

At first he didn't answer, and I asked again, he mumbled something and I waved my hand in front of his face. He snapped.

"What!" he yelled.

I shrivelled away and withdrew, I muttered, "Sorry"

He sighed, "Look, about my mother, she died alright?" he said bluntly.

I wanted to say 'how?' but I didn't have the courage to watch him snap at me again. I just nodded lightly and he leaned back and crossed his legs on the wooden table.

"Lung cancer," he randomly answered my 'how' question.

"I'm sorry"

"Nah it's alright…"

"She… Was she nice?"

"Dunno, I was little"

I was lost for words. All I could say was, "Papa died just a month ago"

"Was he nice?"

"Yeah, he was awesome"

Arthur laughed, "How?"

I smiled, even if that was meant to be an insensitive question, "Smoking"

"Ah, same…"

We went quiet and Arthur mumbled, "You've been in love?"

I coughed a bit from shock, "No"

He chuckled, "You know they said 'love is a drug' yeah?"

I nodded, "Yeah so?"

"Then wouldn't that make an infatuation a cigarette?"

"How so?"

"It's addictive, it takes your breath away and you get crushed"

I didn't respond to him, but I couldn't help but think that what he said was kind of true…

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**Thank you for reviewing :). I hope you guys continue to :). Oh! I have to thank emiliexox for inspiring me with the 'man up' bit XD, much appreciated.**


	21. Moments of Happiness

**Moments of Happiness [Part One], March 25****th**

It was a must to get the play recorded and since Arthur and I weren't there, Valiant, Nimueh, Leon and the others were blaming everything entirely on us, disregarding the fact that Arthur could murder them within a second. I eyed the recorder as it stared back with its beady eyes. Despite the load of surprises and info given to me yesterday, I decided it was better to just chill today and forget about it. Unfortunately, Arthur and Valiant had other plans; they dragged me to the gym and shoved me into an empty closet.

Now, I'm sweaty and sticking from the smothering heat inside this closet. It sucked because there wasn't a light inside and it was pitch dark and all I could smell was the stench of old socks and sweaty singlets. I knocked into a hard, edgy thing and it made a scratching sound as I bumped into it again. And they said the closet was empty…

Due to my curiosity, I rummaged through the 'thing' finding it was open. That was when I realised it was a cardboard box with a torch in it. There was a smooth feel underneath the torch. I struggled to open it as it flicked open and there it was a pile of paper with writing on it. All printed with _A.P, _except there was a _M.L.F _next to it.

There was another story. Unfortunately, I didn't get the chance to take it out. Arthur came back and dragged me out of the closet.

"OK, Mr Swadling's gone for now, we have to rehearse big time," he said hurriedly.

We scurried off to the drama room, leaning against poles, walls and trees whenever a wandering Mr Swadling lurked. Sir Bailey was swinging back on his chair, sucking on a chuppa chup. He noticed us immediately and waved his hand over to us.

"Alright, you better do a good job on this," he said trying to keep the saliva in his mouth; Valiant and the rest were at the back chatting away.

Arthur took a deep breath and took over the stage while Sir Bailey moved and held onto a camera shooting him:

"Where's Samson and Gregory?" he asked out of nowhere and Sir Bailey moaned out loud.

"I already filmed them I just have to get you in this scene, now hurry up!" he said impatiently and held the camera higher.

Arthur just shrugged and continued. I couldn't understand half of what he was saying to be honest and the scene of the kiss drew closer and closer, tying me further and further into embarrassment. I hated how his eyes wondered off the stage.

He stopped. We all watched him in question as he muttered something. Sir Bailey rejected his politeness and yelled out, "Now what is it?"

"Merlin. Here. Now!"

Sir Bailey dragged me up the stage, snatched the script from Arthur and scanned through it. We heard a loud sigh as he shoved the script back to Arthur and forcefully pushed me along with it. He shifted his eyes from Arthur to me.

Bringing the camera back and held it in front of our faces he said, "You're not chicken are you?" A smirk raised on his face.

"No!" Arthur exploded with a glare.

"Well, kiss him"

"…" Arthur stood there speechless.

"Sophia had said something about you being a man…" I added for effect.

He glared at me and pulled me closer to him, "_That _was _unnecessary…_" he hissed.

I shrugged, "You needed a reminder"

Sir Bailey sighed again, "Jesus people. We don't have all day!"

In the end, he pushed Arthur and my face together, not caring if we knocked our noses off or something. I could hear Valiant and Nimueh whistling from the back as both of our fists were tightly clenched. Before Sir Bailey could do the head smashing again, Arthur gave me a quick peck on the lips (which I didn't feel at all) and mouthed at the teacher, 'Are you happy now?'

"Tsk, that'll have to do," he decided, holding the camera down, "Next time, I expect something a bit more he-"

"We get the point sir," Arthur and I interrupted in unison.

"You children always get the point don't you?" he muttered sarcastically.

I hopped off the stage and sat back with the invisible audience. Arthur came down with me while Valiant and the rest scrambled out from the back. Sir Bailey waited for us to sit down while he tapped his feet like a bull.

"Tomorrow, I expect better, _far _more better," he announced, the group moaned in annoyance, "By tomorrow, you should have the whole thing rehearsed and since Mr. Emrys was new and nobody actually helped him, I displace him from the main character role"

I gaped, "What?"

Valiant physically cheered, "Alright!"

Glaring at him, I turned back to Sir Bailey, "Why? Wasn't I doing well enough?"

He shook his head, "No, you were fine, but there's too much pressure on you, like seriously, you look tired and miserable every time you play this role!"

It was true, but it was only because Arthur was Romeo and I had too many tension rising scenes with him. I wanted to object, but Valiant beat me to it and asked whether he could pick the next Juliet. The group nodded, except for Arthur who was sitting there slouched and a frown plaster on his face.

"I reckon Merlin's fine," he differed, "I like working with him"

Everyone and I mean _everyone _stared at him in surprise, shock, and etc. He just half-heartedly shrugged and rolled his eyes, "What? Is there something wrong with actually liking to work with this nit wit every so often?"

Nimueh barged in, "Yeah, but you _live _together. So there's _no_ _way _it's going to be every so often. It should be _all the time_"

"It doesn't mean we talk to each other _all the time_," I argued.

Valiant's friend, Nick, flicked his honey brown fringe and stared at me, "I bet you guys are so use to this stuff eh? Love dovey and everythin'" he commented.

Now Arthur's mouth was touching the ground, "No we don't-"

Sir Bailey interjected, "Yeah, yeah, constant denial, whatever. The point here is, get the bloody work down by tomorrow. And Emrys, you play somethin' else yeah?"

I nodded reluctantly while Arthur heaved out an annoyed sigh as we got up and exited the room just as the bell sent the school grounds shaking.

"Great _Mer_lin, look what you did"

"Huh?" I answered smartly, "What did I do this time?"

He glared at me, "Bet you that Valiant is gonna choose either himself or Nimueh as Juliet and I'm gonna die rehearsing with them," he paused, "- I reckon it was so much more easier to rehearse with you than it ever will be with them"

"Really, that's sweet"

"Don't you act like Juliet right now," he backed away.

"I thought you like rehearsing with me?" I hinted, smiling broadly as he blushed from head to toe, "I bet we can rehearse _every day_"

"Doesn't mean I like kissing ya," he slyly grinned.

"Oh, Romeo, how can you be so harsh?" I rolled my eyes as I said that in the highest voice I could muster.

Arthur paled, "D-Don't you _ever _do that _again_!"

I smiled, "Why? You said you liked having me as Juliet?"

He glared playfully, "I swear, I'm going to have to take that ba-"

"Oh no, you don't," I objected as Arthur made a run for it, "Hey! Come back here!"

Arthur laughed, "I think I'll take that back!" he repeated what he didn't say before, "See you back at the house!"

And he disappeared with the crowd of other students in the school grounds having recess.

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The AAL area was still looking at its best, vines and grass sticking about everywhere. The log still had my name engraved on it and Morgana was sitting next to it, eating a ham and tomato sandwich alone. Her brown hair tied up in a bun and a pen in another hand. I walked up to her and said hi.

"Hey," she replied, distracted, "Haven't been here every day like you promised"

"Sorry, certain trouble," I apologised, placing the bag next to the log, "What cha writing?"

She stopped writing, shut her book, placed her pen down and stared up at me, "Nothing important. How about you? I have completely forgotten about that book you were meant to write. Let me guess, ditched it?"

I shook my head, "Left it to the side for now"

It wasn't long before the true face of Morgana returned, "So… You and Arthur…"

Why was I not surprised? "Here and there, there's really no point, he's with Sophia," I told her, "And I'm no longer Juliet"

Morgana raised an eyebrow, "Brendan's idea isn't it?"

I nodded.

"That sodding idiot…" she muttered under her breath.

I nodded in agreement. Gwen was absent from her usual seating.

"Where's Gwen?"

Morgana grunted, "Lance, they're in love again"

I laughed, "Good for them"

We sat down in silence as I pulled out the script and searched for the characters available. Morgana scratched her head repeatedly as she clicked her pen again and again. I peered at her writing and only picked up _'She sat there and stared into space-'_

"Staring into space?"

She looked at me in confusion, I pointed at the sentence.

"Oh! That, it's nothing," she replied, but the answer was kinda irrelevant.

I couldn't help but feel a little bit uncomfortable in the quiet, hearing her pen scratching on the surface of the paper. There was a hunch. Something's not right.

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Arthur was home early and running around helping Rosette with some of the laundry. He wasn't very open with Ma; he would be ultra polite and kinda shift whenever she's there. I watched him as he stretched his arms out forward to wipe the dirty line with his handkerchief and flip the white towel onto it.

"Is it really that interesting?" he asked, not turning from his work, "It's weird having you drawing me when I'm doing this…"

The drawing pad laid on my lap and the 2B graphite pencil sitting lazily next to me. Sitting on the lush green grass in his backyard, I rolled my eyes and provided him with a goofy smile right afterwards. He glanced and smirked.

"Arrogant today aren't we?" he kidded, flinging a bug from another line.

"Full of comments today aren't you?" I replied back, using Arthur's tone, "I thought the arrogant one was meant to be you"

He threw an orange peg at my head and glared, "Very funny _Merlin_, wait, I mean _Merlie_"

Oh no… Even he knew the nickname, "Where did you get that?"

He raised his eyebrow at me, "I've got my sources," he replied simply.

I didn't get a chance to retort anything back because he turned his back on me and returned to hanging up the washing. My fingers tingled and itched to draw the sight in front of me. Impulsively, I just drew him. _Curve that line, straight hair, broad back, strong arms._ Heat rushed up my face just trying to picture him in my head.

"Liking what you see?" Arthur's voice came out haughty and nervous, "Your face is a tomato"

Covering my face with my hands, I turned away from him. He laughed and threw my semi-wet polo shirt at me. Embraced by the sudden cool material, a large figure squeezed my body and warmed us. The picture of Arthur seemed to move and smirk.

Arthur's fresh scent of washed clothes covered me, "Got ya," he smiled cheekily.

I rolled my eyes, "You did that, why?"

He blinked, "Was bored and I felt like hugging you at that moment. Even a guy needs some human contact!"

I doubted that, but went with the flow, "Alright, whatever you say Arthur"

"Wow, that's actually the first time you said my name out loud," he commented in surprise.

"No, I say your name a lot," I objected.

He smiled, "Oh really? Prove it"

"Go ask Morgana, I say your name a lo- Wait a minute… Now I sound like I talk about you all the time!" I whined, pointing at him in accusation.

"That just proves how much you love me," he joked, but it almost froze me.

I laughed nervously, "Right…"

"Admit it!"

"No. Way."

"Then why would you say my name _all the time_?" he pushed further, a mischievous glint in his eyes preyed at me.

"I never actually said that," I pointed out, denying everything.

He raised his eyebrows and gave up. Picking up the laundry basket filled with wet clothes, he dumped them in front of me. Then he just walked away.

"Hey! What about the clothes?" I yelled out.

Out of nowhere, a sign appeared from the back door that screamed out,** I can't be bothered. **And that was it before the door closed. I sighed, what a strange little boy he was indeed. Staring at the drawing on the grass, happiness overlapped the feelings of annoyance. Things were starting to be normal again.

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**Hey guys, sorry about updating heaps late :(. I think I'll have to update slightly later for the next two chaps (as promised) due to the assignments, thanks for being patient though :D. I thank all those who have reviewed and I hope you'll continue :). Thank you ooooo - Hugs XD**


	22. Issues with Dresses and Cafes

**Hello, it's good to write for you guys again XD. As you can see... I changed the chapter titles :).  
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**Issues with Dresses and Cafes, March 28th **

"_Merlin, _where do you think you're going with that dress?"

The thing was… Arthur Pendragon had a thing for nosing into other people's business quite a lot. He eyed me while I clung onto the soft purple dress firmly. I think outsiders would have found this hilarious if they misunderstood the situation. Arthur made another attempt to get me to spill the beans.

"It's for Morgana," I lied, backing away slowly. It didn't really help the fact that I'm near the bathroom.

"Like hell it's for Morgana!" Arthur exclaimed in disbelief, edging forwards as I just continued to shuffle backwards, "She already has the money to buy a _thousand _dresses if she wanted to!" he pointed out.

I couldn't tell him. More or less he'd kill me if I did. To tell the truth the dress was for this pretty girl in my Design and Technology class. Her name was Freya, and for some reason she was an exception to my sexuality… It's not like she could ever beat Arthur. No. That was not possible, but she had a certain charm that made me comfortable in her presence. I only met her yesterday and she told me about this guy she really likes and they were gonna go to some costume party. Apparently she didn't have anything to pair up with this guy so I figured it'd be nice to get Ma's gown for her to borrow. So, if I told Arthur, he'd tell Ma and I'd get in massive trouble.

And regarding to him killing me, well, I had a feeling he would so it's better to lay low.

"Is it wrong to give a present to Morgana?" I questioned.

"Yes, when she's gonna stalk you afterwards," he stated in a matter-of-fact tone.

I guessed Arthur knew so much more about Morgana than I ever would. There was a tinge of pain that flashed on his expression, but soon disappeared and his mask returned. I persistently clung onto the dress, however… I got cornered.

"You have got nowhere to escape now _Merlin_," he hissed as he forced me back against the wall.

Honestly, I didn't understand why he had to know why I had this dress. It wasn't like I was going to wear it. Well, that was until Arthur's eye's glinted and I got the message.

"Oh," I breathed, "You think I'm gonna…"

He smiled wickedly, "You're always welcome in my room," he joked.

"Really? I didn't know you liked me that much," I said sarcastically from instinct, keeping our eyes locked in challenge.

I swore. Arthur's expression did the talking for him, "You don't want to go there…"

"Go where?"

"You are so…" leaving his sentence half finished, he attacked me.

I was laughing so hard that I was crying; tears streamed down my face as he tickled my sides. He demanded me to tell him what the dress was for, but I still clung onto it and kicked him in the stomach to stop him. It was an accident. Honest.

He groaned, "YOU IMBECILE!" he screeched.

I gasped in offence, but realised it was certainly _not _the time to be teasing him at the moment. The only problem was I needed to escape as soon as possible. Arthur's eyes sparked in fury as he made an attempt to lunge at me. I held my breath and ducked quickly, spinning around behind him and faced him with a smirk.

"How, what the heck?" he blinked in confusion.

"That's right," I chuckled triumphantly, "Can't admit the fact that I'm faster than you?"

He glared at me, "You? Faster than _me_? Ha! What you did just then is called a _fluke_"

"Oh, then I wonder how many flukes _you _have been doing all those years"

Arthur's nostrils flared a little like a bull. I gulped. Damn me and my stupid mouth. I swung the dress over my shoulders and darted across the hall way and down the stairs. And of course, with Arthur right behind me. I silently landed onto the wooden flooring and made my way to the kitchen.

Ma wasn't anywhere to be seen. I let out a sigh of relief and jogged to the front door. A gentle vibration buzzed in my pockets. Freya left me a text message, it seemed from Mercia? Why on earth would she be in the town next door? Tapping my black flip phone on my chin I pondered on whether I should meet her now or later.

_'Hey, why are you at Mercia? – M''_

"Are you seriously thinking of taking that outside?"

Arthur was behind me with his hand folded in front of his heaving chest. I glanced at the gown and shrugged.

"Why does it matter?" I said casually, "It's not for me anyway"

He rolled his eyes, "Well people are _going to think _that it was a gift for _you_!" he exclaimed, pointing harshly at the dress.

Before I could retort a remark back, my phone vibrated and I face palmed. _Great timing, Freya, just great… _Arthur raised his eyebrow in question, but said nothing and stared at my pocket. From the look of it, he was waiting for me to pick it up. Knowing Arthur probably wouldn't leave me alone until I told him who it was from. And then he's gonna make fun of me having a mini crush on Freya. This was pathetic.

"Well… Aren't you going to pick it up?" he pressured.

You know what? I didn't care if he's going to piss me off for the next six weeks. So, I pulled out the phone and flipped it open with my thumb. Freya left me a very, _very _long message.

_'Hey Merlin, I need a bit of help. I'm talking to Dan right now, well not really right now 'cause he's at the toilets, but anyway, I don't know if I should flirt with him or not. God that sounds like such a stupid question, but seriously… Besides that, I'm bored. Will you keep me company while Dan's away? You know me, I can't stand waiting, and I need progress! What the heck, you must be shaking your head at me right now. Oh, actually don't worry about keeping me company, Mr. Hottie is back! *squeal* - F.'_

Well, it was considered long since it's a text message. I swore she practically entertained herself with just that message… Judging the way Arthur's looking at me, my expression must be perplexed. The phone shook in my hands again buzzing like a bumble bee.

_'Can you bring the dress at five? On time would be nice please - F.'_

I sighed. She was kinda pushy. I was about to text something back, but another buzz erupted from my phone.

'_Oh, and thank you :) - F.'_

I smiled to myself, _'No problem - M.'_

"What time is it?" I asked Arthur who was leaning against the wall seemingly about to fall asleep.

He jolted, "Oh, the time, right. It's… Four forty-eight," he announced, scanning his stainless steel analogue watch.

I nodded to myself. Checking my outfit, I was wearing my baggy pair of jeans, a loose white T-shirt that had multiple shade of blue squares stamped randomly on the bottom with a baggy dark purple jacket over the top. I also needed a haircut. The loose black curls were falling into my eyes.

"How long does it take to reach Mercia?" I wondered.

Arthur gaped, "You want to go to _Mercia_?"

I gave him a half-hearted shrug, "Yeah, what's the problem?"

"Father hates _Mercia,_" Arthur spat out, literally, tiny droplets of saliva shot out of his mouth like mini cannons.

"I don't see how this has anything to do with me"

"I can't go with you that's the problem!" Arthur explained dramatically, "And my father's going to kill you if he finds out that you've been wandering in the enemies' territory!"

I blinked. Arthur was worried?

"You don't have to go, besides, I've got someone with me," I explained without mentioning Freya's name.

Arthur raised his eyebrow in suspicion, "And who might this be?" he queried.

I seriously didn't want to answer his questions right now. I glanced at my phone, it was four fifty. Wonderful, I only had ten minutes to reach Mercia. I sighed, "Look, I'll tell you after I come back alright?" I huffed out.

"Wha-"

I ran (with the dress in my hands). I could hear Arthur sprinting after me. Unfortunately for him, I had a plan B. Checking the time a large yellow bus came to a halt in front of me. I stuck my tongue out at Arthur and jumped on. From outside the murky light grey window, I saw his brows knot and his baby blue eyes argued with mine. I rolled my eyes at him as the bus began to drive off.

"So… a donde vas?" a little girl who decidedly sat down beside me and smiled, "I'm going to a café para al francés"

I blinked, "Pardon?"

"Oh! I am very sorry!" she perked up in embarrassment, "I thought you were someone I knew!"

Thus, I blinked again, _did I look Spanish? _I smiled, not sure how to respond to the little girl's statement. She had honey tanned skin, bright green eyes that literally sparkle and dark sandy brown hair that was loose and wildly wavy. She was rather short and appeared around the age of eight.

Like this brave girl over here.

She tipped her head to the side, "I'm sorry, my name is Marie. Mama is sitting over there, her name is Helen"

Marie was pointing at a laid back woman with curled blonde hair and pale skin. Quite the beauty her mother certainly was. I picked up Helen's (her mother) sharp gaze and jolted for a second. Marie was smiling broadly like a Cheshire cat and waved her petite hands crazily. Her mother gave her a weak smile and stood up to sit in front of us.

Closer, I saw that Maire looked nothing like her mother. Helen gave me a polite smile.

"I'm Merlin," I said instantly with grin.

Her eyes widened in surprise, but recovered, "Helen" she said in a strong tone.

"Mama, tell señor Merlin about Mercia's café para al francés!" Marie exclaimed in excitement, clapping her hands together like she had large cymbals.

"Well-"

"It's the most _romantic _of places in the world!" Marie sighed dreamily.

"Um yes-"

"Don't you wish you'd want to go?" she jumped up and stared at me intensely.

"Darling, you shouldn't-"

"But mama said that I was too young to know _that _yet, you know," her voices gradually got lower; "Do you know what she means by love?"

"MARIE!"

I gaped, "I guess-"

"I'm sorry about my child's misbehaviour," Helen immediately cries out, "Her father has _obviously _been telling her more than she should know!"

"Umm…"

Through all the confusion, I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. I flipped it open revealing Freya's short message: '_Merlin. You're 5 mins late, I'm waiting at this French cafe thing - F'_

Just a couple of bus stops till Mercia. Marie was chatting away with her mother and her hand gestures were growing wild. I stared out the window; a sign that read Portman was standing in a bundle of bushes. It was next to the bright colours of the traffic lights. The bus ride became a little rocky and the passengers gripped onto the silver rails and purple poles. I glanced at Marie holding onto her mother's arm.

Outside was becoming hazy. Grey fog was swirling about out the bus windows. Helen beeped the red stop button on the wall and stumbled to the front of the bus. Marie yawned and skipped to the front flawlessly while I clutched onto the railing.

"Where are you heading off to little girl?" the bus driver smiled.

Marie blinked up at him in confusion, "What? It's none of _your _business sir!" she puffed up her chest proudly and stalked off beside me.

I noticed the bus driver's irritated expression as he stopped the vehicle. It began to downpour and I had forgotten my umbrella. Helen seemed well aware of the situation and offered her bright red umbrella for me. So, Marie, Helen and I shared it till we reached the Café.

I was crowded and humid. People's body heat mingled with the moist atmosphere. Trickles of water slid from the centre of the umbrella and down onto the tip of my shoulders. Marie sneezed loudly, covering her mouth with both her hands. Ma's dress was folded neatly underneath my purple jacket.

"Oh… Mama, look!" Marie pointed excitedly at a little red shop, "There it is!"

The café was small, if not, tiny. But it had a nice feel to it. It was warm in colours overall and had wood replacing that white cement walls of the houses around it. It had two storeys and red rooves. A blue umbrella contrasted with the café and drew our attention to the welcome sign. The scent of cinnamon tickled my senses and I could hear laughter and romantic violin and a bit of jazz muddled together.

Helen wore a small grin on her face, "My goodness… So many memories"

We were greeted by a chubby young man with brown whiskers like a mouse's. His nose twitched occasionally and his buck teeth stuck out a pale white. Marie saluted him enthusiastically and followed the man to a table.

I searched the room for Freya. She should be here since this was the _only _French café in Mercia. I found her. Freya was sitting alone on a dark brown couch by the corner staring at her phone intensely, abusing the keys as she played a game (which I believed would be Tetris or something like that).

The lights in the room were dim and there were mostly candles placed on the classic painted walls. The whole café was designed in shades of browns, mud yellows and warm reds. Wooden tables, wooden chairs, wooden almost everything…

"Freya!"

She glanced up and shut her phone. I grinned and sat down in front of her.

"Hey," she greeted, "Do you have the dress?"

I nodded and unzipped my jacket and placed it beside the salt, pepper and tissues on the table. She beamed and felt the fabric and gasped in surprise.

"This must be really expensive! Where did you get it?" she exclaimed as she picked the folded dress and gently shoved it in her large yellow handbag.

I shook my head. Ma bought the dress for a fifty percent discount, which was pretty good considering that it was made from pure silk. A soft ringing melody rings nearby. Freya pulled her phone out again and her smile grew wider and wider.

"Who is it?" I asked in wonder.

"_DAN!_" she squealed like a little girl.

After testing like crazy she stared at me with a smirk, "He's bringing a friend"

I raised my eyebrow, "Yeah, so?"

Freya rolled her dark brown eyes and gave me a knowing look, "A _friend_"

"How would you know if his friend is a _girl?_" I protested, tapping my fingers on the wood.

"Because he's coming in right now"

I turned around to get a better view. I guessed Dan was the guy with bright reddish orange hair, blue green eyes and the height of a giraffe. He seemed nice though. He wore a open smile on his angular face and his lanky body swayed as if he was dancing to the music. There was a girl next to him. She had blonde hair (it was kinda strawberry blonde) and looked awfully like…

She turned around toward me and Freya's table and her blue eyes were the size of saucepans.

Oh dear lord… Why did I have to bump into _Sophia_ out of all the people!

She gave me a menacing gaze and sat down as far away from me as possible. Dan and Freya were cuddling up to each other.

Well, this was awkward…

* * *

**To be honest, I am amazed (in a pleasant way) by all the devoted reviewers who comment on MYLY ^^. Thank you very much for reviewing *bows*. **


	23. Weird, Aliens, Just Life

**Weird, Aliens, Just Life.**

The sound of the romantic violins and jazz muted. It suddenly felt cold and tense inside the lovely room. I glanced at Sophia who was staring at her plastic menu for at least half an hour, still deciding what to order. Freya and Dan _finally _stopped cuddly like cats in springtime and were discussing which was better, croissants or breadsticks.

"Of course croissants taste nice, but they cannot beat the mouth exercise you get from the good old begets!" Dan said with feeling as he took a sip of water from his water bottle. A waitress glared at him and he quickly hid it under the table and smiled in embarrassment.

"I agree begets taste nice _and _give you good amount to chew on, but I don't really feel like having something chewy today…" Freya explained.

A tall, dark haired waiter strolled down toward us and smiled warmly, "How may I help you today Monsieurs and Mademoiselles?"

"My fair lady would like the croissants," Dan declared, "And I would like a chocolate mousse cake slice please"

Sophia stared at him, mortified, "Do you know how many _calories _are in those cakes?"

Dan rolled his eyes, "Yes, I'm well aware"

The waiter chuckled and turned to me, "And what would you like to order?" he asked politely in a soft tone.

I scanned the menu, "Chicken risotto sounds nice"

He scribbled what I said down and shifted his gaze to Sophia. She glanced at him and glared, "Pasta"

The waiter blinked, "Oh yes," he snapped out of it and scurried off.

It wasn't long before the atmosphere became tense again and Sophia's grumpy aura showed its face unwelcomely. Dan raised an eyebrow and asked her what was wrong, but she ignored him with a huff, her arms crossed tightly like a stubborn cat, and gave me a dirty look. I shrunk further down the soft seat and shifted further away from her.

"So…" Freya began, "I heard you're from Peterson High?"

Sophia didn't utter a word and stared at Freya like she was crazy, "Well, duh, we're in the same class for English, Maths and Geography"

Freya flushed, "Oh… Uh, that's embarrassing…" she whispered quietly, fiddling with her thumbs while Dan glanced at me apologetically.

Sophia just replied with a dramatic roll of eyes and flipped out her iPhone. Her grumpy mood eventually morphed into a treacherous one, her eyes glinted in mischief and her lips twitch into a smirk. I turned to Freya and Dan, unfortunately, was having another discussion about food…

From the corner of my eyes, I spotted her texting wildly, her smirk getting bigger and bigger. It freaked me.

"Um… You weren't at school for the past two days?" I initiated conversation with her. She glanced up; her blue eyes shaded dark as if telling me to back off. _It's not like I __**want **__to talk to you jeez…_

"And _why _would _you_ care?" she spat out, her mouth farming into a snarl.

"Because…" I honestly didn't, however I didn't have much of a choice did I? "Arthur was worried about you," I lied flawlessly.

Her harsh expression moulded with confusion, "Arthur? Are you sure we know the same Arthur?" she questioned, her eyebrow raised.

"Well yeah, there's only _one _Arthur in the entire school," I pointed out.

She was about to comment till the waiter returned with Freya's croissants and Dan's cake. I stared at the food for a while. The croissants were golden brown, appeared crispy on the outside, after further investigating I could see soft yellowy white smooth bread underneath. Dan's cake was obviously cold, the mousse tucked nicely in between the bready part of the cake. It was dark chocolate with a gently spread of thick chocolate icing and a kiss of a cherry on top. My mouth watered.

"I'm hungry…"

Sophia's eyes were transfixed as well as mine's were. Since when did we agree on something?

She tore her eyes away, "I mean, Arthur's not the type of guy to even care," she said, turning her attention back to me.

"Agreed," Freya nodded, "I was dumped by him a year ago and he didn't even break it down to me gently!"

"That's because you don't _stand up _to him like I do," Sophia remarked smugly, "To be honest, I'm quite glad _I _was the one who broke his heart. He wasn't all that great anyway"

I wanted to punch her face right then and there. But the conversation was kinda intriguing; I actually get to hear Sophia's side of the story. I actually moved myself closer to her so I could hear. She was staring into space; it seemed she wasn't all that proud about breaking Arthur's heart.

Conjuring up my courage, I asked, "So what happened?"

She gaped at me for a few seconds, "You're weird," she mused, but a hint of a grin twitched at the corners of her lips.

I scoffed, "That isn't really shocking"

To my surprise, she chuckled.

"Why on earth is someone like you with someone like him?" she asked with no ill tone.

"Dunno, I guess I like shiny things," I shrugged.

"I for one dislike shiny things, like come on, am I not shiny enough?" she joked, looking at me straight on. The waiter strutted by and placed our meals down.

Freya whined, "Now I feel like a meal!"

We laughed together (yes, Sophia laughed too). I stared at the chicken risotto. It glistened creamy white under the dimly lit lights. I watched as Sophia poked at her hot plate of red pasta and chunks of meatballs. Taking a bite, the smooth creamy texture around the chicken caressed my tongue. I swore I was in heaven.

I heard a light muffled laugh in front of me, "What?" I asked with a mouth full of chicken and rice.

Sophia pushed her plate away from her and cracked up like a stack of fireworks. Hugging her stomach she exclaimed in gasps, "You- have got to be the _weirdest_ person I've ever known!"

"Thank you?"

"No, no, thank _you_," she laughed as Freya and Dan stared at her in shock, "I thought you'd be some dork that was into computer games and all that boring stuff! But I guess I was wrong there!"

I flushed slightly, swallowing down all the food in my mouth, "Uh… OK?"

I think she's the weird one, not me, "What did I do?"

"You're kinda making that 'I'm in heaven' face again" Freya explained as Sophia choked on thin air, still hugging her stomach.

"Oh… Crap," I cursed, everyone was staring at us like we were monkeys driving a car drunk. This was not normal by the way.

Dan got out of his seat and patted Sophia on the back, "Hey, hey, snap out of it"

She shook her head, "I definitely like you, compared to all of the _other _guys that hang out with Arthur," she commented, calming down slightly. She stuck out her petite hand and smiled, "Friends?"

I glanced from her hand to her face, taking her hand I grinned, "Friends" 

* * *

It was six thirty and I was at home, lying on my bed still surprised at the fact that _Sophia _and I were actually _friends_. It wasn't long before I realised she never answered my question about how she and Arthur broke up, but then again, that wasn't really a topic I should be asking so casually. I stared at the thick line in the middle of the paper in my sketchbook. If she answered my question, what kind of answer would it be?

I rolled over onto my back and gazed at the colourless ceiling. Maybe they separated because Sophia was cheating on Arthur? I sighed; this was really giving me a headache.

A knock on the door woke me from my trance.

"What is it?" I groaned, arms covering my eyes from the light.

Another knock, "The door is not locked ya know!" I shouted in annoyance.

"Could have told me earlier," Arthur's deep voice rung in my ears, "And where the hell is that dress?"

Sitting up, I shrugged, "I lent it to this girl"

"Aww… _Merlin's _got a girlfriend," Arthur teased, a smirk reigning on his chiselled features.

Ah, that's right; he didn't know I was gay. Yet he kissed me not to long ago either. Why the heck did he have to be so confusing?

"No, she's my friend," I corrected, closing my sketchbook and placed it on the floor, "By the way, I met Sophia today"

There was a deafening silence as Arthur tried to register this sudden information. He blinked, "Huh?"

I rolled my eyes at his reply, "I. Met. Sophia. Today"

"Is. This. Some. Kind. Of. Joke?" he chided in the same broken tone.

I sighed, "No it isn't"

Arthur shut the door, moved closer and sat at the end of the bed. He stared into my eyes searching for any dishonesty, "Well… Spit it out," he demanded.

"We just talked for a bit," I reported, "Nothing special"

"She… Didn't kill you?" he sounded so amazed.

"I'm still here aren't I?"

"_No…_ I meant, she didn't suck in your soul while you guys were 'just talking' right?"

"What the- Oh… No, she's actually fun company"

"Yep, she sucked in your soul"

I gaped at him. When the heck did he become so demanding of my life stories? As I remembered last time, he didn't really care about what I had to say. His expression softened a little and he shifted fully on my bed, sitting cross legged in front of me.

"You're weird…"

Oh my god… Has everyone got a problem with my _weirdness? _I glared at him, "Uh huh"

"Normally people hate Sophia," he smiled.

Well, I couldn't argue with that, "She was a pain in the ass in the beginning I gotta admit"

Arthur chuckled, "Hey let's play a game," he suggested, pulling out a pencil from his pocket, "I write a sentence and you write a sentence linking my sentence so we get some story"

I raised an eyebrow, "Alright?"

He laughed, "It'll be good for your writing"

I rolled my eye for the second tonight, "Fine…" I pondered for a second, "Only if you take me to see the dragon again," I didn't know why I said that, but I had this overwhelming urge to see the dragon again and to ask him a few questions.

Arthur must have thought I was crazy, "Whatever, as long as you play," he shrugged, "Which genre?"

"Something different… SCI-FI!" I exclaimed. Aliens are cool right?

He blinked, "OK…"

He grabbed my sketch book from the floor and began scribbling down on one of the blank pages at the back. When he finished he spun it around to show me.

_**There was a lady sitting by the space port.**_

I stared, "Seriously?"

Arthur rolled his eyes, "Shut up and write"

I shrugged. _She had an ugly alien baby in her arms._

_**It looked like an orange pumpkin with skin as wrinkly as a Cyclops elephant.**_

_Its eyes were huge, bigger than its head itself._

"Cyclops elephant?" I queried, "You've got one _big _imagination"

Arthur coughed, "At least it's better than yours," he shot back with a smirk, and he grabbed the book and began writing again.

_**A large metallic spaceship suddenly crash landed a mile away from her, its flash lights switching from red to blue as it tumbled into the barren desert. **_

_The mother stood up and tip toed to get a clearer view, however she fell over and dropped the baby into a sucking teleporting hole._

"That… is a bit sudden," Arthur criticised.

I grumbled things about Arthur being a perfectionist and slammed the book in his face, "See if _you_ can do any better?"

"OW!"

_**The baby cried out, screaming out that Merlin was an abusive little idiot.**_

"Oh, I see how it is. Challenge accepted!"

_It got sucked in further and further until it landed in the pools of the galaxy._

_**Ahead of it was Neptune and it floated into its greatness.**_

_Unfortunately, Neptune didn't like the baby, thus he repelled it with great force._

"Neptune isn't a person! How the hell can it _repel_ a baby?" Arthur argued.

"Well it is able to now," I smiled sweetly.

Arthur threw a little tantrum and scribbled hard on the paper. _**You suck.**_ And stormed out of the room.

I stared after his retreating figure, only jumping up in shock as he slammed the door closed. His pencil in my hand, I wrote:

_You suck too._

* * *

**Thank you for _all_ of your reviews everyone! XD I'm so excited! Nearly 100 hundred reviews waah. Ah, yes, there was a mistake I made, so thank you OnTheWinterSolstice for pointing it out for me, much appreciated :). Thanks to emiliexox and Merthur Dreamer for great feedback, and of course the newest member Black Eyed Kids for reviewing XD. Over all thank you.**


	24. I Spy a Pond

**I Spy a Pond, March 29****th**

Dragon was a pain in the ass. He didn't batter an eyelash when he greeted me with a whirl of smelly fire. His wrinkly scales appear slick and greasy under the dull grey lighting within the cave. Arthur wasn't inside, I'm afraid he's way too scared to enter, regarding his previous reactions to the dragon. The gigantic reptile huffed out rings of smoke that flew straight past me like a hovering fog.

"So child," the dragon began, "What have you got to ask me this time?"

I cocked my head to the side, "This time?"

Dragon rolled his large yellow eyes, "You have seeked guidance from me since you first arrived at Camelot. However, you obviously don't remember that do you?"

I squeezed my eyes shut trying hard to remember whatever that happened in the past. Blank. Behind my eyelids was only the darkness and bluish green electric images that kept flashing closer and then disappearing. Dragon had sensed my irritation and blew a warm breath of air on my face calling me back to land.

Blinking, I cast my eyes down, "I want to remember all the things I have forgotten during the accident," I declared, turning my gaze straight on at the dragon's gold ones.

He sighed, "That can be done, however, must be done in great patience"

"Why?" I asked in annoyance, I wanted to remember everything, I wanted to _know why _Ma hid all those records and never told me a single thing, but mostly, I wanted to know why Arthur was like this. Why he was so moody and insecure at times.

"A puzzle piece cannot be put together all at once, Merlin," he responded calmly.

"I know that! But is there a shorter way, like a faster way to put everything together?"

Dragon rolled his eyes in exasperation, "Within the realm of this castle boundaries there is an empty pond. It lies beside the tomb of Queen Ygraine. If you wish to seek your past, you must gather up a drop of blood from those who are close to you and have reincarnated from your past life. BUT, if there is one imposter mingling in the drops of blood you'll face something unearthly"

"What would that be?" I queried, shaking slightly.

"You'll be bound from liberation of movement," he stated seriously, "You'll feel numb all over on the first day, and then eventually you'll lose the control of your legs"

"In other words, I'll become jelly," I squeaked.

The dragon nodded. He pointed his sharp nail to the exit, "Young Pendragon is waiting. I sense his unease"

I forced a smile, "Thank you for helping out"

He didn't say anything and flapped his large leathery wings and zoomed up into the caverns. I spun around, sprinting up the staircase to where Arthur was standing. He was leaning against the black metal gate examining his perfect nails. I heaved a puff and tapped him on the shoulder, gaining his attention.

"Hey"

He grinned, "How did it go?"

"We need to find an empty pond next to this tomb," I explained, waving my hands around, "Queen Ygraine's tomb I think it was called"

"Oh great, I can't stand dragons, and now I have to encounter my very first graveyard?" Arthur drawled unenthusiastically, "I just love this day"

"It gets better," I started, "I have to draw blood from everyone that was close to me in my past life. I have no idea how I'm going to find them"

Arthur pondered, "Might as well find this _pond_ and check out what it's like"

I nodded in agreement and found myself dragging Arthur around the castle. We didn't know whether the pond was outside, inside or let alone what it looked it.

"So Mr. Confident," Arthur began in a drawl, "Where is it?"

I rolled my eyes as we strolled into each of the rooms. There was a massive chamber filled with dark red drapes that covered the three chairs within the room. Arthur rubbed his eyes as if he was shocked, he frowned and cautiously entered the room. The doors were huge and it took all our power just open it fully.

The floors were made of light grey stone or cement I was not sure exactly. The uncovered arched glass windows emitted serene rays of pale silver light like spotlights on a stage. It was cold and the light only made it colder. Arthur rubbed his arms as his blue eyes explored the surroundings in amazement.

We were too caught up in the room's power that we didn't utter a word. Arthur walked faster towards the three chairs. Pulling off the covers of the middle one, he inhaled sharply.

A throne stood proud in golden tones.

I watched Arthur's shoulders lift up and down as he took each breath. Moving closer to him, I patted his back catching his attention. He jumped in surprise and blinked at me before glaring harshly.

Finally he spoke, "Don't do that"

I smiled, "Never seen you so shocked over a chair"

"It's a throne you dimwit!" Arthur snapped, "I keep getting this connection with this room… This throne"

"You're bonding with a chair?" I raised my eyebrow.

Arthur hissed at me. He was about to motion away till I noticed an envelope stuck out from underneath the throne. I bent down and carefully slid it out. Opening it, I slipped the brownish yellow crackly sheet of paper out and read through it. Arthur knelt down beside me and grabbed the side of the paper, pulling it to the centre.

_I am hoping that this letter has been given to the future me. Whether or not you may remember your own past life, I believe this will give you the answer to your problems. Find the Pond of Memories. Step one: Where high powers sleep, the answer is you._

"The answer is you?" Arthur queried in confusion, "I don't see a note stuck on your back"

I ignored him. Somewhere high powers sleep? High powers probably meant the nobles, but which one? Unless it was in the King's room… Wait… The King's chamber!

"Do you know where the King's room is?"

Arthur thought for a bit, "I've been here since I was six, but I've only been to King's room once and that was ages ago. From what I remember, it was in the west wing somewhere and is the biggest room"

"Alright then, to the west wing!" I commanded as I got up and marched to the door.

Arthur grunted and followed command for once. We walked past all sorts of rusty metallic antiques that shone dull under the glowing cloudy light. I peered outside the windows and gasped at the sight of the old village that was rotting away.

"Father doesn't like to show our people this," Arthur explained, walking away casually, "Says it's unruly and dirty, it'll give Camelot a bad name"

I tore my eyes away from the ghost village, and followed Arthur to the King's chamber. He stopped at a large majestic door and glanced at me. I nodded my head and Arthur opened the doors. It was pitch black, but I could make out a large curtained bed, a dusty mirror and a wardrobe. We entered carefully, trying not to tread on anything valuable.

Our footsteps echoed lightly as we walked inside. Arthur found a stray candle lying on the ground and lit it with a lighter that was hiding under a pile of fabric. The candle's orange aura was a small glow. Arthur fumbled around with the curtains and yanked it down. Suddenly a swarm of moths fluttered about. I gasped and shoved the window open. The room flooded with silver beams.

"The answer is you…" I mumbled to myself.

Arthur rolled his eyes, "I bloody hate riddles," he swore in irritation, "I'm gonna go search around the room"

I nodded absently until Arthur burst out:

"Shit, Merlin why didn't you tell me there was a pen mark on my face!" he screeched, rubbing the tiny mark off his face.

I blinked, "That's it!" I grinned, rushing up to Arthur, "The mirror!"

Arthur gaped at me, "And…?"

"The riddle, _the answer is you_!" I said happily, "You see yourself in the mirror right? So that means the next step is somewhere here by the mirror!"

He raised both his eyebrows, "That some messed up logic"

"Shut up," I growled.

I rummaged through the piles of fabric near the mirror while Arthur stood there trying to clean his hair. I sighed and pushed him out of the way. I wondered if the mirror could be pulled apart. Arthur seemed to read my mind and smashed the mirror onto the ground without second thought.

"Umm… seven years bad luck Arthur… Seven years…"

"Don't tell me you believe in that?" he laughed, kicking the shards away. Sure enough, there was another envelope.

I opened it and read it:

_So you've found this one too? Clever aren't you? Anyway, step two: The living dead and the living live together, like caged birds; the next clue is in the hands of a good man._

"Well, use your messed up logic to crack the nut," Arthur joked in a sarcastic tone.

I glared at him, then returning to the clue, "Where do dead people and living people live? This whole place is like dead"

"A graveyard is where dead people are, plus live people visit" Arthur suggested.

I shook my head, "No, there is no way someone would want to _live _there"

"Who the hell wants to live with dead people anyway," Arthur grumbled. A few second later, he snapped, clicked his fingers and smirked, "The dungeon"

"But dead people don't live there," I pointed out.

"Well, plenty of people die there or technically live there because they have to," Arthur said blandly, shrugging half-heartedly.

Without arguing, I accepted his suggestion, "Let's go"

The dungeon was the gloomiest of the gloomiest of places. The stench of rotten fruit invaded our nostrils like flies invaded a house. I pinched my nose and tried to breath from my mouth, I swore the smell had a foul _taste_. Arthur seemed to have no problem with this; he just pranced about here and there looking for the clue like he was among a field of daisies.

"What's the rest of the riddle?" Arthur asked, spinning around and faced me straight on.

I unfolded the clue, "_The next clue is in the hands of a good man_"

Arthur's eyes glinted in confusion, "Who else would be here?"

"Maybe… It's a dead guy?" I offered, smiling awkwardly.

So, we went and opened each of the cells and examined each of the gruesome dead people. I turned away every time we entered the cell just in case I might end up puking. Arthur didn't really care much and fiddled with them like he would with action figures.

Luckily, we reached the last cell before I had the chance to faint from the stench. Arthur grabbed the closest sharp object and slammed it into the lock and yanked the door open. He cursed as a shard of wood split into his finger.

"You want me to tend to that?" I offered as I was ready to pull the tips of my shirt.

"No," he denied with much haste, "It's just a splinter"

I reluctantly let go of my shirt and slowly toddled after him. Inside the cell was a dirt covered skeleton. It was clutching onto an envelope. I froze by the door frame and tried to make a run for it. Unfortunately, Arthur pulled my collar and hooked me on a loose nail jammed half way in the cell wall. I grunted in discomfort. Damn Arthur and his aggression.

I watched as he abused the skeleton's hand and snatched the envelope out. He returned, unhooked me and dragged me outside the dungeon.

This time it was Arthur who opened the envelope.

_Step three: Within the forest lies a sleeping important woman, beside her are empty memories… Blood, blood, blood is needed. Find the magic ones who will guide those in need to their destination._

"So… There's magic now eh?" Arthur speculated, "Soon someone's gonna say Santa and his elves exist in this tiny little world"

I rolled my eyes, "Are you ready for a hike?"

Arthur groaned to himself and waved his hand forward and pushed me forward, "Lead the way," he sighed.

I smiled and rubbed his hair affectionately, "Thanks"

* * *

It took us at least two hours just to find the 'magical people'. Arthur was complaining about how stupid this was and honked on about how druids were mythical and not real. I brushed him off and continued searching. Eventually, we did find them. They were like another version of hippies, just scarier and intense. Arthur didn't like them at all.

"Why the heck are we talking to a bunch of crazy people who think they have magical powers and believe that they have some kind of prophecy to fulfil? It's almost as if we are talking to a bunch of Disney characters," he argued like a five year old with a tantrum.

"Arthur… The clue told us to seek the druids, so we might as well oblige ok?"

I turned to the elder druid and smiled apologetically. He had the long white wire like beard that reached the ground and his face wrinkled like worn out rubber.

"You are looking for Queen Ygraine's tomb," he repeated what I had explained before Arthur started ranting, "We will show you the way"

The blonde prat shot up, "What? No way I trust you old geezers to lead me _anywhere_!" he retorted dramatically.

"Oh well, you can stay here and look after the crazy little geezers," I smiled as Arthur's face paled.

"Fine, fine!" he whined.

I chuckled, and pulled him with me. The elder druids cackled with humour and began to march off into the depths of the forest. I walked after them whilst I listened to Arthur's slow crunching footsteps.

"If they were really magic, they could've teleported us to the tomb," he grumbled.

I agreed, but I didn't want to cause conflict at the moment. I noted that there was a large boulder due east of Camelot's forest and there behind it was a sign that said **do not trespass **or to be more precise **beware, danger ahead**. Funnily enough, we went _straight past _the sign and into the 'dangerous' territory.

"So, still trust them?" Arthur mused.

"Shut up," I retorted, "We're not there yet-"

"If we ever get there that is"

The old druids stared at us and all raised their eyebrows at once. I gulped and smiled at them in fright. They turned away and continued marching. Arthur sniffed the air like a hound and his eyes were set wide in alert.

"Something doesn't seem right," he quavered, "Merlin… I think we should run…"

I blinked in confusion, "Why?"

Suddenly, there was a screech and the old druids' voices muffled amongst it. The sound of scampering and tussled turning rattled into our ears. Stomping grew louder and louder…

"RUN!" Arthur screamed.

He pulled me by the sleeves and we sprinted off the tracks and into the huddle of trees. It seemed the creature smelt us and stormed on after us like a T-Rex after its prey. Panting, we ran like deer, jumping over logs and dodged the trunks of pine trees. Arthur made a sharp turn and disappeared.

No, no, no! I panicked as I spied the giant bird like creature chase me while it squawked. I felt a hand grip onto my arm and suddenly bam, I smashed into a flowery bush and away from the creature's view. I panted; I stared up and sighed in relief that Arthur was sitting behind me covered in beads of sweat.

"It can't smell us," Arthur reassured between pants, "The pollen masks us"

Out of breath, I nodded. He helped me up and he lifted my arm over his shoulders and we started to search for shelter.

With our fantastic luck, it started to sprinkle with rain. Arthur cursed and lifted my legs and carried me to the nearest shelter. He found a large willow tree that was weeping over a gushing river.

"Urgh, that's good enough," he decided as he jogged to the tree and laid me down gently under it. I pushed myself up so I was leaning against the trunk.

The rain sang softly as it hit the ground. Arthur sat beside me silently, gazing up at the swaying willow tree leaves as droplets of water fell over his forehead. I shivered from the cold and hugged myself.

"Is that it?" he asked randomly.

"H-Huh?" I stuttered between clattering teeth.

He pointed to a large dark grey arched stone that was covered with weltered flowers. Beside it was a large hole that resembled a moon crate. I gasped in amazement that was it! The empty pond!

I beamed in satisfaction.

Arthur on the other hand rolled his eyes, "Great, we have to cross the river now"

I sighed, "Damn it"

He laughed, "You cold?"

I blinked, "I guess"

Arthur snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me closer. He smiled warmly and allowed me to cuddle him like a teddy. For some reason… It felt so much warmer now.

* * *

_**I don't have much to say, but I thank emiliexox, kutoki, fire dragonheart and MerthurDreamer for reviewing :). **_


	25. The Troll Under the Stepping Stone

**The Troll under the Stepping Stone**

The rain just wouldn't stop. It was almost as if it were sobbing quietly, trying to fill up the empty pond that appeared to be empty still. The trees wailed as the gale pushed up against them and moaned in agony. I pulled my legs closer to my body and breathed out hot air from between my lips over my icy hands, but it just made them feel sticky and humid. Arthur hugged me closer to provide me warmth. He was just as cold as I was, I could tell from the colour of his face. It was like looking at a statue.

His light blue shirt and black pants clung onto him like leeches. His blond hair stuck to his head and made it appear like dulled golden strokes of thick paint. I stared down at myself; my god was I a skinny pale thing compared to Arthur. He had a squarish body structure (possibly large bone structure) and had the round muscles in all the damn right places. I, on the other hand, was like a plastic ruler. I was technically snow white. Arthur would crack up laughing if I ever said that comment aloud.

I sniffed, suddenly taking in Arthur's cologne mingling with the scent of musky rain. It was a strange smell, refreshing and sweet. Wait a second… sweet?

"You smell funny," I innocently marvelled, "Is there something you're not telling me?"

Arthur coloured, "No, well- I can't really-," he sighed and confessed slowly, "Morgana. She bought me this can off deodorant – which I swear I thought was for men – for my birthday and the next day I walked into Peterson High smelling of strawberries and peaches…"

He diverted his eyes from mine and flushed even more. I blinked at him and laughed so hard that my stomach felt like a bulldozer was running over it. He glared at me in anger and slipped his arms away from me and stood up. I rolled my eyes at his dramatic gesture and followed his actions. He parted the swaying leaves of the willow tree with the back of his right hand and gazed at the 'pond'. I took a glimpse and gently tapped him on the shoulder.

"You wanna cross it?" I whispered, gesturing to the river.

Tilting his head, he frowned, "Probably not a good idea," he replied smoothly.

I agreed. The river was raging, it was roaring as it sped past. However, we were already this far, I didn't want to go back home and lose the pond.

We heard something screech so high that it could shatter glass. Arthur gasped and grabbed me by the arm and pulled me to the edge of the wild river. There were a line of dark grey stepping stones being splashed with water. I glanced back and saw the pouncing figure of the creature from the earlier today. Arthur led the way and hopped from one stepping stone to another flawlessly. I gulped, wobbling violently on one foot, and tried not the imagine myself slipping off balance on the stone and tumbling to my doom. I hopped one by one staggering, waving my arms like scales.

Suddenly, Arthur stopped. I almost smashed into him. What the heck, why was he stopping? There's a blood thirsty creature that wants to eat us! Another stepping stone popped out of nowhere next to Arthur's and I made a mini leapt onto it.

"G'day sirs," a tiny deformed man greeted us, "I am Tap the troll of this bridge I am"

Arthur narrowed his eyes at _Tap,_ "Alright _Tap, _would you kindly please move? There's a creature that wants us dead"

Tap blinked, "I'm a _troll,_ ya dare speak to me that way?" he burst, his brown green, rough skin coloured red, his teeny weenie hands rolled up in upset fists. I swore I saw steam puff out of his wart covered, oversized nose.

"Look, I'm sorry if we offended you, but would kindly look at our situation?" I reasoned slowly, wobbling slightly on the slippery rock.

The creature's light footsteps crackled like the distant thunder. I sensed it stare at me. Holding a breath, I gripped on the ends of my shirt. Tap huffed out a sigh and hopped off the path. He stood there afloat on the raged water. Arthur and I gaped, but the creature's squawk snapped us back to the task. Arthur muttered thanks as Tap scoffed, I smiled at him and followed Arthur away onto the other side.

"You idiots better be doin' good," Tap started with suspicious eyes, "Don't want a bunch of birds flockin' around t'morrow mornin' screamin' that there's a war comin', you hear me?"

I rolled my eyes, "Yes sir, understood completely sir," I joked and saluted to him graciously as he simply vanished like smoke.

The stepping stones disappeared in a flash. The creature watched me with its fierce gold eyes like lasers; it prowled to and fro its feather's soaked from the rain. I gulped and let Arthur's wet hands hold onto my wrist as he dragged me towards the pond.

The pond was empty despite the downpour. The droplets splattered onto the dry sand, but were sucked into it like lava. Arthur experimentally grabbed onto a hand full of sand from around the pond and dunked it inside.

He gaped as nothing happened, "Well, that was eventful"

I chuckled, "Yeah"

"So you need blood?" he started in a puzzled manner, "How are you going to find all those from your past?"

"No idea"

I honestly had no idea. I knew the consequence for putting _one_ drop of wrong blood could send me to my doom. I sighed as I tried to think. Arthur stood there silently obviously thinking just as hard. I had a tingling sensation run down my spine. Arthur was still holding onto my wrist.

"Umm… My wrist, Arthur…" I pointed out awkwardly.

He blinked, "Oh, OH!" he gasped and dropped my hand, "Sorry…"

Just as his hand left, the tingling stopped. Grabbing onto his hand, I smiled as the tingles ran down my spine again. He stared at me in confusion. No disgust, just confusion. His hand, callous and rough, returned my hold by curling his fingers with mine. I kept my mouth shut, scared of scaring him off. He broke our silence.

"Do... Do you think that – that maybe…" he paused; his brows stitched together, "Never mind"

"What? Tell me"

He sighed, "Maybe I am… You know… A reincarnation from your past," he suggested, gazing into my eyes as if he was searching for disapproval.

It was possible. It was definitely possible… I always thought we had those déjà vu moments whenever we were together. Like right now. Arthur's hand entwined with mine felt _right_, it was weird, but it felt like we've done this before.

Suddenly, Tap poofed onto the pond.

"Ya two love birds are like snails in winter!" he whined, "Will ya hurry up already, I haven't got al' day alright?"

Arthur scoffed, "Yeah, Merlin find a way to make me bleed," he remarked sarcastically. There was nothing around us that was knife like.

Tap rolled his muddy eyes, "All you could do was ask, you little twerps," he said in an irritated tone as he waved his rock-like hand around in circles, and out of nowhere a tiny knife popped onto his hand.

He handed it to Arthur, "Be as Emo as you want," he kidded.

Arthur raised an eyebrow and sliced the tip of his finger. He didn't seem to feel an ounce of pain. The dark red blood dripped with the rain and fell onto the pond. We gasped (except for Tap) as the droplet of blood glittered pink and slowly sunk into the sand along with the rain. I jumped in shock as the pond rumbled slightly and did a loud burp.

Tap cracked up, "You little twerps' lovers or somethin'?"

Arthur glimpsed at me, "N-No," he stammered.

I tried not to look disappointed. It wasn't like I _desperately _wanted to be his lover or anything; just being his friend was a privilege enough. He glanced at me and I shot him a reassuring grin and turned my attention to the troll. Tap was shifting his gaze to Arthur and then to me. He sighed and muttered something under his breath.

"Denial… it's like lyin' in whole different level," Tap commented harshly.

Arthur blinked, "Hey! I _am not _in _denial_!" he bellowed.

"Believe what ya wanna believe kiddo"

I chuckled as Arthur began to fume. The rain beat against his blonde hair as imaginary steam simmered into the air. Tap shook his bottom at Arthur in a provoking way and stuck his little pink tongue at him. Arthur roared and leapt for the troll. Tap gasped and mocked fear as he skipped here and there away from Arthur's monstrous grasp. I laughed a loud; it was almost as if Tap the _troll _was trying to cheer me up.

The pink droplet of blood resurfaced from the pond as a small smooth crystal, shaped as a tear. I reached out for it, but Tap smacked my hand and took it himself. He handed it to me and smiled a toothy yellow smile and beckoned me to bend over.

"It's fate," he whispered in my ear, "He'll come around soon"

I nodded slowly, "Thank you"

Tap smiled that toothy smile again, "Well, this poor ol' soul is glad to help"

With that said, he vanished in a gush. The rain lessened and Arthur was staring at the jewel. I held it up against the cloudy sky, it shimmered pale pink like dyed water.

"That is so manly of you Merlin," Arthur teased, an amused smirked formed on his face.

"As long as it gets me closer to all those secrets people have been keeping from me, it's as manly as it gets," I remarked, slipping the jewel into my pants' pocket.

We trailed back on our original footsteps back home. The river had calmed down and flowed peacefully around the individual stepping stones. There was a small sign that said 'beware of the troll'. We just laughed at that.

The bird creature wasn't around anymore and we hurriedly yet quietly rushed through the forest. It wasn't long till got into an argument.

"Trust me! It's _that way_!"

Arthur rolled his blue eyes to the sky, "Yeah, from what I remember there was a pile of dead men there"

"But there _are no dead men there_!" I almost shrieked.

"They probably got eaten by the bird thing then!" he argued back.

"Please don't tell me we're lost," I mumbled in irritation, my head was about to explode into a thousand million tiny pieces.

"We're lost"

"URGH!" I screamed aloud, my hands balled into fists over my forehead. For the very first time, I felt so annoyed that I wanted to punch something.

Arthur backed away cautiously, probably sensed my extremely dramatic distress.

"Whoa, whoa," he shushed quietly as if I was a horse, "Calm down, I was kidding, I know exactly where we're going"

"Really?" I whispered, panting slightly.

"Yeah, really," he reassured softly, "And don't argue with me this time alright?"

I nodded silently and trailed after Arthur's large footsteps. I didn't notice how big they were, I reckoned they're the same size as mine, just a couple centimetres longer. He was wearing brown leathery boots – kinda like cowboy boots. I smiled to myself. I didn't know he wore things like that. We walked in a comfortable silence; I listened to our feet crunch the dry dead leaves and watched Arthur's feet move back and forth, back and forth.

Eventually, the leaves slowly lessened and were replaced by long tuffs of dry greenish yellow grass. Arthur's footsteps paused and my head knocked onto his hard back.

"What did I tell you?" Arthur grinned smugly, "Told you I knew the way"

We stood at the foot of the castle walls. The back entrance was open and Arthur was gaping at the wall. I investigated it and laughed.

It said, '_Arthur was here'_.

"What the – I don't recall writing that," he stated in a puzzled tone.

"Maybe you are one of the reincarnations of my past," I concluded with a light hearted smile. Arthur raised his eyes at mine, "What? You're the one who suggested it!"

"I know," he chuckled, entering the castle, "I know"

* * *

Uther Pendragon was standing at the doorstep tapping his shiny black, polished, leather shoes. The tapping was agitating. Arthur wheezed and tried to make a run for it. I glanced at Uther and Arthur. It wasn't long until I realised he was death glaring both of us like a hawk.

Ah damn it. We're in trouble.

"Arthur Pendragon! _Where _do you think you're going?" he raged, his foot tapping louder.

His son wheezed again, "Nowhere father"

We took our precautions and carefully strolled towards the annoyed man, his grey blue eyes stormy and shockingly pissed off. I sensed Arthur's tension as we got closer and closer…

"Why are you here at home when you should be _at school?_" he questioned, spitting a little on my shirt, "And also, the principal has informed me that you two haven't been at school yesterday either. To be more precise, you – Merlin Emrys – went to _Mercia_!" Uther hissed at me this time.

I stammered, "I-I uh, I'm sorry sir!"

Arthur glanced at me apologetically, "It won't happen again sir!" I tried again.

Uther seemed to resolve in peace again and sighed, "Good, as long as you understand that _Mercia _is our rival," he said calmly, "However, Arthur Pendragon, you are grounded for the rest of this week"

Arthur's eyes widened, "Wait – What?"

"Grounded," Uther stated again.

Before Arthur could remark with anything back, Uther had already went inside and into his work room. He left the door open, and we went inside. We sat down on the dining table, Arthur sighed and face planted himself on the table.

"Shit," he cursed loudly, "I was supposed to go to Gwaine's tomorrow afternoon"

"You could be rebellious like you always are?" I offered, shrugging half-heartedly, "Sorry but I can't help you here"

He groaned and remained face planted on the table.

I pulled out the pink jewel and placed it next to Arthur's head. He turned his head around and lay on his cheek staring at the pink pebble-like jewel. Lifting his hand, he tapped it with his cut finger. It glowed and wriggled around a bit.

"Holy!" Arthur gasped, tumbling of his chair.

"Good day young sir," the pink jewel morphed into a miniature version of Tap, except English, "Fine day isn't it?"

I gaped and the miniature Tap cackled, "Only kiddin', 'member me? Tap?" he gestured.

"How did you-"

"Get this small?" he laughed out loud, "I'm magical"

"No way, I thought you just an ugly, short human being," Arthur remarked, sarcasm dripped from his tone.

"Oh, ha-ha," Tap retorted, "You're just a funny one ain't ya?"

Tap sat down on the table and scanned the room with his eyes, "Fancy room ain't it?"

"More than you'll ever get," Arthur answered rudely.

"I can't believe you're fate is with this irritatin' bloke," Tap exclaimed, jumping onto my hand, "Anyway, you be'er look after me good 'cause I eat a hell lot"

I laughed, "Yeah sure"

Arthur groaned, "Not _another _free loader!"

Tap and I remarked, "Live with it"

Arthur sighed and slouched onto the chair, "Ever since you came along, my life is like retarded," he complained, watching me.

"Look, I know you're like dev'stated bout this, but I'm starvin'," Tap looked around, "Is there _anythin' _good to eat around here?"

* * *

**Thank you everyone for reading and reviewing, you guys are awesome :D! I honestly don't know where Meeting you, Loving you might go :P, the end might surprise even me! Anyways, I thank all people who read MYLY :). Cheers from Mangasian13.**


	26. Some Jokes go too Far

**Some Jokes go too Far, April 1****st**

"What are ya doin' at this time of the mornin'?"

Tap stood on top of my desk. His arms crossed, he flipped through the pages of my notebook. Scanning it, he smacked my hand out of the way and huffed out an irritated sigh. I laughed, picked up the notebook and hid it in the desk draw. Tap glared at me and stuck his pink tongue out at me and fell down on his bottom.

"Irritatin' boy ya are. I just wanna know what tha is!" he whined.

I chuckled, "It's just a notebook, and I'm working on a story"

He raised an eyebrow. There was a faint glow under the desk and suddenly my notebook floated back onto the desk. Tap smirked smugly and dramatically opened the book. I inwardly smiled as he struggled to lift it up and turn it.

"Need any help there?" I mused.

"S-Shut up," Tap grumbled.

Why didn't he just use his magic to turn it? It was strange how he didn't think of these little things. Actually, speaking of little things, I found a small silver ring lying around on Arthur's desk the other day. It looked like a wedding ring but less fancy. I tried to recall the times where he would wear, but nothing came to my head.

There was a word on it that kinda gave me a slap on the face.

_Bond._

It was a word I didn't think would be on _Arthur's _things. Honestly, I wondered if he had ever bonded with someone before. I blinked out of my thoughts as Tap groaned in annoyance when the hard cover of the book slammed onto his tiny toe. He struggled to get free like a caterpillar from a sticky web. While watching him struggle, I figured I'd help him out.

After I get my sadistic satisfaction…

"Need help there?" I mused again.

Tap growled like a vicious dog, only, a very, _very, _small one, "Don't ya mock me!" he sneered, whisking his hand in the air, and told me to back off.

Pretending to be remarkably offended by his tone of voice, I got up and began to stroll away. I smirked to myself as Tap pulled at his leg and made agitated and helpless heaving sounds. Eventually he gave in and called out:

"Alright, alright, I got the stupid idea! Can ya come help me?" he whined.

"Hmm…" I wondered if he's as much of a prat as Arthur. "What's the magic word?"

The tiny troll stared at me like I was a psycho in need of treatment. He stopped struggling for a while and pondered really hard.

"Drat!" he cursed.

I raised an eyebrow, "Ah… No"

"Oh, ha-ha, you annoyin' twerps just love makin' fun of me don' ya?"

"You bet," I rolled my eyes, he really was as much of prat as Arthur, "Here, let me help you with that"

Tap relaxed and sat down with a thud, his little wrinkly arms crossed like a toddler with a tantrum, "Thank ya," he muttered under his breath. I simply smiled genuinely and carefully hid the notebook inside the desk drawer.

I felt Tap hop into my front pocket of my white polo shirt and he wriggled around trying to get himself comfy. I laughed as his small head popped into view like those 'Whack the Mole' games. He glanced up at me in confusion.

"Mush!" he called out, and I shockingly enough obliged. 

* * *

"Good morning"

Ma was slicing up fresh green cucumbers on the chopping board in the kitchen. I smiled at her and picked up a ham cucumber sandwich Ma made yesterday night. I grinned as I remembered Arthur's loud taunt about how cucumber should _not _be in the presence of sandwiches. The cool cling wrap slipped from my fingers and into my bag.

"You're up early today," Ma noted in approval.

"I had an idea for the story, so I wrote it down before I forgot," I explained casually as the toaster beside me popped and two slices of warm toast jumped out, "Where's Arthur?"

"He's already at school," she said, multi-tasking, "Afraid Uther might scold him again"

I laughed at that, Arthur was frightened that his daddy would lecture him! I felt Tap wriggle around in my pocket like an indecisive mouse. I giggled a little and Ma stared at me in confusion. I smiled at her, grabbed my bag, buttered my toast and scoffed it down as I rushed to the door. Ma smiled to herself and continued to slice cucumbers.

It was sunny today. The clouds puffed around in their own pool. I sneezed as pollen swept past by the breeze. Tap peered out from the pocket and muttered something.

"Where are we goin'?" he questioned, staring up at me.

"School"

Tap raised an eyebrow, "School? What's that?"

I sighed, "A place where you learn stuff"

The pure shock made me crack up. Tap just looked so _shocked _about this. We eventually grew quiet as the school grounds came to view. The troll whispered to me that I should keep an eye out for Arthur just in case he pounced on me from behind.

Once I entered the gates, Lance was leaning against the tall brick walls. I waved, but he ignored me subconsciously. He seemed rather depressed, like someone had just slapped him across the face and laughed at him afterwards.

I wasn't sure whether to help him or leave him. Class was about to start and I didn't want the school to ring up Uther again. Just imagining the scolding Arthur and I could get because this tiny action sent shivers down my spine.

Tap popped his head from my pocket and snickered, "Well lookie here"

I blinked in confusion. I followed the direction of the tiny troll's eyes led.

"Arthur!" I gasped, a little too loudly.

Arthur was leaning against the walls of the church like building. Just as my eyes fell on him the bells chimed loudly. He didn't notice me and began walking away like a bored cat under the sun. I was about to chase after him till a rough hand grabbed onto my shoulder. Turning around I came face to face with Lance's dark orbs and stubbly face.

"Hi," I smiled awkwardly.

"Hey…" Lance greeted with a small smile, "Do you by any chance… Know where Gwen is?"

He looked so doubtful at this point. I shook my head, and his eyes casted over with a deeper sense of doubt. I bid him goodbye and walked away. If I turned around and glanced at him I would've had the urge to help him. So I kept walking.

"Merlin!" someone called out.

I span around to the voice, but there was no one there. I swore I must have gone crazy lately… Tap didn't say much as we went off to the first class. It was Math wasn't it? I was not too sure… Ah damn it, I'll just go and check.

"Where are we goin'?" Tap questioned, his huge nose stuck out from the pocket.

"Math"

I knew from the facial features of the troll, he didn't know what Math was. However, he didn't ask what it was, so I'll give him the benefit of the doubt and said nothing.

Now that I thought of it, I've never actually been to Math class… It was quite the embarrassing notion because I had skipped all the days I had maths. Now I had to stand there confused as the teacher goes on about equations…

The classroom was in the direction where Arthur headed, so I guessed he must've had maths too. Just at the thought of Arthur I almost began to run to _maths_.

I came close to a bright red door that was labelled A27 and opened it slightly.

"Mr Emrys"

I jumped up, "Yes?"

The room was dead silent. It was painted dull blue and the carpet was dark blue. It was a very cold room. All the desks were separated in rows and the students were all seated in alphabetical order. How did I know this? Well, their names were stuck on the desks. I scanned the room for Arthur, but he wasn't there. I felt my heart sink in disappointment. Here I thought he'd be here… Not that it meant anything.

The teacher was a short Indian woman; she was a snowman. She wore her hair in an onion top and crow's feet littered around her eyes and corners of her pursed down casted lips. I gulped as she glared at me with intensity.

"Sit in between Thomas Ermington and Angeline Frenzy," she commanded with a scratchy tone of voice. It reminded me of dying birds.

Thankfully, not many students eyed me like hawks and I sat down beside Thomas and Angeline. They seemed like nice people. Thomas was lean, if not, a little bit scrawny. He had a tonne of freckles scattered all over his face and the puniest nose I had ever seen. He had large hazel coloured irises and thin brown hair. Angeline was a small girl. She was tanned and had black wavy hair that reached to her bottom. I couldn't pin her on Asian because she looked like a mixture of several races.

She sensed my stare and took a glimpse at me. I smiled broadly and she blinked at me with surprise. She eventually smiled back and returned to her work. Thomas seemed restless and flicked tiny scrunched up pieces of paper at my head. I glared at him, but he didn't sense my irritation. Those annoying little paper bullets shot at me. Normally I would tolerate this, but after a few long minutes of this, even a sloth would get pissed off.

"Stop it!" I hissed in a mere whisper, flicking some of the paper back.

He gazed at me with innocence, "Pardon?"

"I said, stop flicking those things at me," I repeated, this time more precisely.

"Oh, I'm sorry," he paused, "I just hate maths, you know… It's just so boring"

Keeping our low tone and heads ducked slightly, "Why don't you irritate the other person next to you?" I asked openly.

"Jeremy?" he raised his eyebrow at me, "Are you serious? Have you met Jeremy?"

"Does it look like I've met him?" I remarked in a sarcastic tone.

Thomas rolled his eyes, "Well, he'd pulverise me if I even _mentally talk _to him"

"Why?"

"I dunno… He hates me?"

There was a slight silence as the teacher waddled past and slipped a math sheet in front of me. Her eyes pierced through my body as if to say 'do your work or else…' shit she's scary. Thomas suppressed his urge to laugh, probably at my irrational fear.

"She's creepy eh?" he chuckled, "Hey, you're the guy who made Arthur a softie?"

I gaped at him, "Softie? How is he a softie?"

"Hey, hey, did you know Mr Swadling sold drugs to Arthur Pendragon?" he gossiped lightly, his grin was becoming menacing, "Apparently, Charlie ran into them swapping money"

Arthur, drugs? Yeah right, it sounds too stupid and illogical for Arthur to do that! He was the mayor's son, why would he need to do that? He had technically everything!

"He wouldn't do that… He's Arthur; he has everything we could ever dream of!" I argued.

"Yeah, but I reckon Sophia screwed him up," Thomas continued, "You know in year seven, he was a really cool guy. He liked to write and stuff as well as do sport. He was kinda like the all rounder, but then Sophia came along and they started going out"

I was confused, at this very moment I was starting to believe Sophia was a rather nice person, and misunderstood perhaps. But I never prided myself as being a good judge of character. I always ended up in some kind of trouble. So who knew, maybe Sophia really was a bitch.

Thomas, however, wouldn't shut up, "You know…" No I didn't know, "That when Sophia first came here, she was in rags and she appeared so beaten!"

This got me worried, "Beaten?"

"She was like torn, and there were bruises on her face!" he exclaimed, "I even saw for myself! It was horrible!"

Just as I was about to ask another question, Angeline interrupted, "Will you stop!" she hissed venomously, "You shouldn't talk about people like that! That's all fake information!"

"You don't have any proof that it's fake Angie!" he retorted back at her, "And besides, you saw her when she first came here!"

"You make her sound like an abused dog!" Angeline almost yelled, but reframed herself, "Also, Merlin's right, why would Arthur Pendragon buy drugs? It makes no sense"

Thomas shrugged, "I dunno, guess he ain't satisfied with something"

I felt Tap rummage through my pocket. Something was wrong.

Thomas sighed, "Fine I was only joking alright, no need to be so pissy"

Angeline growled, "Some joke that was, I don't hear anyone laughing!"

"Hey it's April Fools," he said half heartedly.

"That is so lame-"

Hurried footsteps ran across the hallway like a deer's frantic gallop. The office lady knocked on the door frantically; her eyes behind her glasses were wide in alert. The teacher opened the door and they began whispering about something. Several times the office lady glanced at me and back to the Indian teacher.

Eventually, the teacher came up to me and whispered, "Your mother needs to speak to you"

I nodded and got up. I took my bag and followed the office lady to the office. We walked in silence and I suppressed the temptation to ask what was going on. She didn't appear to need to answer the extra questions from a fifteen year old kid.

When we opened the glass doors, another woman passed me the phone.

I gripped it firmly, "Hey Ma"

I could hear panting on the other side of the phone; I waited for her to compose herself.

"Arthur… He's… Oh my god…" she panted frantically.

"Wait, what happened to Arthur?"

"He's, he's-"

"Ma calm down, what happened?"

"H-He didn't go to school today did he?"

"Yes he did, I saw him this morning," I queried in head, then where was he now…?

The line went quiet and few seconds later Ma returned, "He got hit…"

I calmed myself down; he could've got hit by a ball, a person, probably got into fight, otherwise not so devastating hits-

"He got hit by a truck"

It's an April Fool's joke. Please, be an April Fool's joke.

* * *

**Hey everyone! I had a temptation, and I took that temptation, so I apologise for those who will attempt to kill me after this :P. Thank you Merthur Dreamer, Fire dragonheart and Kutoki for reviewing :). **


	27. Scarce

**Scarce**

The phone slipped out of my hands. Arthur got himself into an accident, with a _truck_… I honestly didn't know how to react. Should I scream in frustration? Should I break down and sob? Maybe I should run to Ma right now… Actually, the last suggestion sounded more rational.

I knew Ma was still on the phone, but I handed it to the office lady. I sprinted out of the school like a wild cat on the run from a hunter. I wished this was a joke, but things like this weren't funny. At all.

I stood panting in front of the Pendragon house. It felt so strange now, kind of like the sense of déjà vu. Except this time, Arthur wasn't staring out the window with those curious baby blue eyes and Ma was in a frantic catastrophe. To be honest, this place in which we were suppose to call home felt out of place, maybe a little lonely without the presence of Arthur.

Creak.

The door slowly opened. My heart was about to jump out from my chest. It was dull and dark, Ma wasn't anywhere to be seen. There were whimpers hiccupping from behind Ma's bedroom door. I guessed Ma was terrified, because Arthur was technically her son as well. I scanned around for Rosette, but the bubbly kitchen maid was not there.

"Ma, are you alright?" I asked softly as I opened the door gently.

Ma's back was turned, her – assumingly – tear stained face was gazing out her bedroom window. In a brief description, her room was light cream in colour and was rather warm and homely. Her floral curtains were drawn apart, letting a soft stream of golden white light onto the single pale bed. I gulped and placed a hand on Ma's tense shoulder.

I waited as she sniffle the last bit of sad tears, "Ma…"

"Arthur's in hospital," Rosette's low and serious tone appeared. Her expression was tense and demanding. Her eyes were on fire.

I nodded, "Ok, can you make sure Ma's ok?" I pleaded a little.

"Of course"

When I left the house, Tap tapped on my chest in earnest. He didn't utter anything, but he hummed a random song in the long tension. I wanted to hit him. Who the hell hums at a time like this? Obviously, the troll didn't realise this.

I glared at him. He silenced immediately.

Thoughts flipped through my mind like a portfolio. Why was Sophia so _hated_? I had a reason to dislike her back then, she had Arthur at the palm of her hands. But now, I wasn't sure what made her so despicable. Sure she smoked, but I'm sure she stopped after her grand encounter with Cop Gwaine. Gwaine, wait a second, didn't Arthur say he promised to go to Gwaine's house today? It was weird, from what I recalled, the time they first met, they acted as if they never knew each other. Arthur was the typical spoilt brat and Gwaine the typical cop slash hero slash superman.

That's so messed up.

Then there was the fact that she was abused during the first years at Peterson High. Now _that _was _not _normal. Sophia? Rich bitch plus physical abuse didn't make much sense. She was like the female version of Arthur. They both had technically everything – Wait, now that I thought of it, nobody actually said she was wealthy.

"Oi, is that what ya lookin' for?"

My eyes followed Tap's stubby finger to a large building. It was a solid ice cube that was painted white with sharp edges. The windows were huge and most of the building was covered in stainless, sparkling glass. A large red sign was stamped on top of the sliding glass doors. Tada! Welcome to the great, the magnificent, the worthy, Camelot Hospital.

I sighed, I tried to be as optimistic as possible before I crash land into Arthur's hospital room. Half of me was dreading it and the other half was determined to help Arthur. I was indecisive, so I chose to follow both.

The air conditioner blasted us cold air that threw me back. We (Tap and I) reached the reception, greeted by a tired, well dressed tanned woman.

"How may I help you…?" she drawled slightly, clicking on the mouse.

I shifted uncomfortably at her indifference and cold air, "I'm here to see Arthur Pendragon," she gave me a look and I continued, "I'm his friend"

"I'm sorry, but Mr. Pendragon is under inspection," she said casually.

The way she drawled on _inspection _haunted me. She made it sound like he was an injured criminal that was under _quarantine, _another horrible word to use in a hospital. I just stood there unsure in what to do. She sensed my uncertainty and sighed lightly.

"Please take a seat; visits are open on four o'clock"

The thing was I was pretty sure she knew that I'd be unable to sit there for six hours. I wanted to flip my finger at her (I've never done it before), but decided to turn around patiently and seated myself on one of those plastic blue seats lined up in rows. People of all ages – but mostly elders today – were seated there either reading a magazine or a newspaper. It shocked me even more, to see Uther Pendragon broken down a few rows in front.

His head hung in anxiety and he was slouching. I thought people would be crowding around him since he was a mayor – who also, owned a business – but they left him there in the gloom. Glancing at the newspaper in front of me, I noticed the headlines:

**Truck Driver Ends the Life of Pendragon's Only Heir**

My gaze intensified. How could they declare Arthur was _dead? _If he was, then why was Uther still here, waiting? Besides, it happened all too soon, they journalist was probably unobservant and didn't take a better look at the scene. And it only happened a couple hours ago. How can fire spread so fast?

I wanted to help Uther. I really did. But I didn't know how.

* * *

"Is he alright?"

I had left Camelot Hospital a while ago. Tap was napping soundly inside my pocket. At least one of us wasn't dying from worry. I ended up taking refuge in Morgana's house. She was in immense worry, but it sounded like curiosity as well. We were sitting stiffly on her couch; Artie was sleeping on her lap.

"To be honest, I wish he was," I mumbled softly.

She didn't say anything. Her eyes portrayed concern as she reached out her hand to cup my shoulder. Glossy, pink lips stretched slightly into a tight, sad smile. I tried to be hopeful and sarcastic to keep my emotions at bay. But I wanted to cry. To pray at every deity in this world to make sure Arthur was ok.

I tried to change the topic, "Why aren't you at school today?"

Morgana grinned, "I have a 'cold'," she said simply.

Now that I thought of it, Morgana never spoke of her parents. Besides that, they were never around as well. I've never seen them.

She rolled her eyes, "My uncle's on a business trip, mum and dad died years ago"

"I-I'm sorry"

"It's ok, they were poisoned, but they were really well known back then – not in a good sense –, so I guess I wasn't that surprised to hear of it"

Not being rude, I said nothing and bathed in our serene silence. I watched Artie's body rise and fall gently like a baby breathing. I jumped up in shock as Tap fidgeted in my pocket. I almost forgot about him.

"Oh man…" the troll grumbled, rubbing his head.

Morgana gasped, "What the…"

I also forgot that Morgana hadn't met Tap yet. He peered at her with curiosity and wriggled his eyebrows. I guessed that meant he found Morgana attractive. Obviously, Morgana screwed up her face in complete and utter disgust. Unfortunately for her, he didn't get the idea and tried to escape from my shirt pocket.

"Uh, I don't think so," I chided.

Tap grunted unhappily. Morgana sighed in relief.

She stared into my eyes, "What are you going to do now?"

To be honest, I had no idea what to do exactly. Maybe I should buy him a present? But he'd be pretty battered up to even open it.

The lack of conversation drove me to the edge. I needed some fresh air. Bidding Morgana thanks and goodbye, I left the house with a raging headache.

* * *

It was well around four o'clock. The air had heated up, and sweet beads slid down my forehead. It felt like summer. I inhaled in extreme joy when the hospital's air conditioner embraced me. Tap was back at home. He had fallen asleep again. I didn't want to disturb the little troll, so I settled him down in a matchbox and used a clean tissue as a thin blanket.

I went up to the receptionist. She spied me and nodded to me in greeting. We didn't say anything, but she gave me a card that said 'Room 23A6, second floor". I thanked her and darted across the hallway and to the elevator. I dodged patients on wheelchairs, nurses and doctors like water. Eventually, I stood waiting for one of the three elevators to ding and light up orange.

Once is dinged, I stepped in as people wandered out. In the end I was standing alone in the mirrored elevator. All three sides were huge mirrors. I leaned against the chilly metal bars, until the metal doors slipped apart and I stepped out of the transporting machine.

"23A6, where's that?" I pondered to myself.

"It's down to the left, then turn right, and you'll see the letter A6," a pretty nurse answered, "Go inside and you'll see numbers lined up next to the doors throughout the hallway"

"Oh, thank you," I smiled gratefully as the nurse entered the elevator with a sleeping wired haired patient in a low wheelchair.

I moved through the hallway till I reached a massive red A6, stamped on the cream walls and the massive door with a square window thing. The door creaked open and echoed down the wide hallway. On both sides were doors and numbers plastered on the walls. Some patients shared rooms, others didn't. Either way, the total ended up from twenty to thirty. Most of the patients shared rooms.

Would it be weird if I thought this reminded me of dorms in those movies? It seriously did.

The lights were really, really, aluminous and bright like the sun except white. I had to shade my eyes from the blinding light and push myself to door where a bright red twenty-three pierced my pupils. Why did they make hospitals so white? I'll never know. Maybe it's a psychological thing…

I cautiously entered the room. To my surprise, Uther was not there beside his son. There was a bouquet of flowers beside the bed where Arthur laid, still as a statue. I dashed up to him and sat there beside him quietly. He was breathing. Thank god.

It pained me to see Arthur wrapped up like a mummy. Even his eyes… His beautiful baby blue eyes… His hands weren't wrapped, but they had scratches all over them. I clasped onto one, but didn't lift his arm, fearing that it might break. I welled up as Arthur's fingers slowly entwined with mine in a fragile grasp. _He's still there._

I breathed in and out slowly. Suddenly, the doctor came in and looked at me with sympathetic eyes. He remained standing and I guessed that I should go up to him and ask him what Arthur's condition was.

"Arthur…" I began in a whisper, "How is he... In medical terms?"

The doctor – which I read on his plastic tag (Dr. Samuels) – started slowly, "He was hit rather heavily. He has injuries in his ribs, arms, one of his legs and his head. Due to investigations, he fainted due to blood loss. He was an extremely lucky one," he inhaled sharply, "He may or may not have amnesia, but we think it's likely"

I turned to look at Arthur again.

"How long will he stay here?"

"Six months minimum. His heart is in an unstable condition"

Oh no… I struggled to ask the question I feared most, "… Will he live?"

The doctor hesitated, "The possibility is scarce, but some do make it"

"Some… As in many do?"

He smiled sadly, "No, very few"

"Surely there's a way you can save him?" I was starting to become desperate.

"There's surgery… But we're not dealing with an artery problem. But the side of his skull is cracked; we're doing surgery on that"

"Is there a way that I could help?"

The doctor shook his head, "Just be there for him right now"

How could I be there for him when he was in a coma?

When I turned my attention back to the doctor, he was already by Arthur, checking his pulse.

* * *

**Thank you for reviewing fire dragonheart and MertherDreamer, I really appreciate it :). Also, Merry (late) Christmas everyone :D!**


	28. Paint a Picture for Me

**I do not own the song in this chapter, nor do I own Merlin XD.  
Song: Prodigal by OneRepublic  
Enjoy! :)**

* * *

**Paint a Picture for Me, April 20****th**

Twenty days had passed, and Arthur showed barely any signs of recovering. I locked myself in my room every afternoon, turned up my iPod and drew my life out. There were pages of writing as well as sketches scattered all over my desk. It ranged from poetry, notes, and failed paragraphs. Nothing happened during school, it seemed Lance and Morgana had a huge argument over Gwen. Apparently, Gwen was cheating on Lance with someone. But I didn't think she and Lance was an item in the first place.

The music played gently from the iPod:

_We say goodbye_

_I turn my back_

_Run away, run away_

_So predictable_

I lay on my bed with a clipboard. The pencil tips scratched onto the rough pages. I drew an oval and a couple of lines here and there. Silence engulfed me as I listened to the sounds around me. Line and shades gradually turned into a figure. Well, a face.

A proud face with a smile that softened his chiselled featured. Hair light and straight, light eyes and light skin. He was as light as an angel.

Wait… What was I doing?

I stared at the picture. I hung my head in shame. Why was I drawing him? I laughed sadly inwardly, I looked around. Arthur was everywhere.

_Not far from here you see me cry_

_Like a bone, like a bone_

_I'm so breakable_

For twenty days, the only thing that was on my mind was Arthur. People around me would class me as sad, shocked or more frequently, pained. But for the first time I didn't know what I truly felt. So I just claimed that I was _tired_, sleepy, withdrawn, blank, and_ empty _but it confused me. It almost felt as if they're not my emotions.

I frequently had dreams where Arthur was standing in the middle of a barren road. Where he seemed oblivious of the danger and stood there lifelessly. I wanted to shout, wanted to scream, but he just stood there. So I'd wait for that black truck to speed its way through and smash right into Arthur. I'd vigorously wake right from that point. Sweating and panting.

_I take everything_

_From you_

_But you'll take anything_

_Won't you?_

Would it be selfish if I said I wanted die with him? Would it? I knew how I would impact Ma. I didn't want to do that to her.

I slap my face hard. How could I think of something like that? Merlin, get a hold of yourself! I sighed, and stared at the picture. I kinda missed that expression he harboured. I placed the page on the bed and lightly tossed the clipboard to the floor.

_Run away, run away_

_Like prodigal_

_Don't you wait for me_

_Don't you wait for me_

_So ashamed_

_So ashamed but I need you so_

_And you wait for me_

_And you wait for me_

Ma said people with comas could hear their loved ones speak to them. I had never actually met a person with a coma before Arthur. So it seemed illogical to me. Yet it seemed natural to start a one-sided conversation with him every time I visited him. Rosette had encouraged me to take flowers and all sorts of gifts (like a card), but he wasn't going to wake any time soon, so I'd nod but not do.

The afternoon sky was turning golden pink. It illuminated the room with rich colours. I didn't take much notice of it really. Tap had been worried about me during these twenty days. There was a time, he brought a large silver tray filled with pancakes and maple syrup – in which he made himself – and served me breakfast in bed. They tasted for some reason, a lot like mushrooms instead of eggs, sugar and flour. But I didn't complain.

The song played like a whisper in the background as I sat on my new portable chair in front of the desk. I was careful not to tread on the pictures of Arthur lying about everywhere.

_I'm on the road to who knows where_

_Look ahead not behind I keep saying_

_There's no place to go where you're not there_

_On your rope, I hold tight but it's freeing_

I opened my drawer slowly. Tap laid there like a bean inside his little matchbox in which I made into a bed. It seemed so cosy in there. Pencils and books secured the little bed in the front corner of the drawer. I smiled gently as Tap slept soundly.

Before I shut the drawer, a knock interrupted me. Ma asked me to come outside for some unknown reason. I guessed she wanted to cheer me up, after all, it had been over a week and my _mourning _hadn't really improved.

I turned down my iPod's volume down slightly and left my room.

_And I'll take everything_

_From you_

_But you'll take anything_

_Won't you?_

Wow. I didn't know we had a shed in the backyard… Actually, I hadn't been in the luscious backyard since the arrival. Well, the shed was a large metallic box situated at the back corner of the field of delicate flowers. It was gloomy since it was hiding under a mass of trees. The door was open and the windows dusty – it reminded me of a sad face –. Ma was inside with Gaius. I realised I hadn't seen the man since my arrival as well.

His hunched back was covered with leaves. Ma seemed to struggle with something inside the shed. Gaius was pulling, but was failing dramatically. I sighed and helped out.

_Run away, run away_

_Like a prodigal_

_Don't you wait for me_

_Don't you wait for me_

It was a large rectangular object that stretched a great distance. Actually it reminded me a lot of a canvas. In the end, I convinced Ma to drag it out on the ground despite the fact that it would tear the edges. When it was finally out, I helped Gaius lift it vertically while Ma sat there in the long grass panting from exhaustion.

The canvas was tall, almost as large as the shed.

_So ashamed _

_So ashamed but I need you so_

_And you wait for me_

"Ma, why is there a painting of this woman in the shed?"

She – for once – stared at me that obviously said 'do you really think I'd know?' and pushed up from the ground. The painting was of a young lady around her twenties. Her hair was a ball of snow behind her head; her skin was pale, eyes like crystals. She was perhaps, the lighter, younger version of Arthur.

There was this melancholy behind her eyes. I wondered who the artist was…

"Isn't she beautiful…?" Ma exhaled in awe.

Gaius gave a light smile. Tingles shot up my spine. Ma gasped in surprise. All three of us turned around completely and came face to face with tomato faced Uther Pendragon. He was burning laser beams through our foreheads. But his eyes softened as they landed gently on the picture of the angelic woman.

Quietly, Gaius ushered Ma and I away from the dragon and its 2 dimensional lady. We were shoved inside the house like a flock of sheep. Without a word, Gaius just waddled back toward his room at the other side of the house. Ma sighed and watched in concern – now calm – Uther. I gave her a pat on the shoulder and smiled reassuringly.

But I didn't think Ma would ever forget the sight of the Dragon dying in front of the lady.

_And you wait for me_

* * *

Modern hospitals… Quiet, serene, supportive yet otherwise quite indifferent in the attitude and communication, oh and how could anyone forget, professional. I came here almost every day. I'd tell stories about school and how Gwaine promised to visit Arthur. Of course, I received no response. His face was still covered, except it was only the eyes that were hidden.

Dr. Samuels explained that his condition had improved a little bit. His bones were healing after the operation, and his blood circulation was stable. So my worries concerning Arthur and heart problems went out the window.

I stood there gazing down at Arthur. Could he really hear me? Why was it that he to suffer the same thing I did but worse? What will he do if he lost his memories?

The white sunlight stroked his cheeks. Bruises and cuts were faint, like bad make up that failed to wash off. I touched his hand like I would touch china and held it to my forehead. Sitting down, I began my one-sided rant:

"You know?" I began in a small voice, "You're such a prat"

I chuckled sadly to myself, "Morgana told me, that you used to paint. To be honest, I found – no scratch that, I _find _that weird. Like come on, you're Arthur Pendragon!" my lips brushed against the back of his fingers as I smiled, "You should have told me, otherwise our conversations could've been less – how do I say it? – Disagreeable? Confusing?"

I sighed, "Hey, what are you thinking right now? Sometimes I reckon being in coma you just see a long forever going sea of black. You know, I don't even remember being in a coma. Does amnesia do that to you?"

Arthur laid there as I ranted on and on about rather superficial things. Not once during the twenty days, did I mention my feelings. It was almost as if my mind was repelling the misery and that if I spilled I might pour in front of Arthur. If people with comas could hear, then I didn't want unconscious Arthur to worry. It'd be bad for his heart. So every day, I would go on and on and on about nonsense (well, things that revolved around happiness).

"Yesterday Gwaine came over. He wanted to give you a get well card," I grinned at the memory, "I didn't know he knew you so well, he chose a card that was hot pink with butterflies all over it"

I stopped. Normally he would shoot something smart-arse back. Something like _'Hot pink? Are you sure you didn't pick that out yourself?' _and make a 'your such an idiot' face.

"Arthur…" I whispered, clenching onto his hand, "Arthur…"

Normal people… Would have the patience and strength to wait and go on with their lives. But I was frail and I missed him. _I miss him so damn much._

For the first time since his accident, tears glazed my eyes. Our hands weaved together, warm water dripped onto them. One by one they escaped.

"Why? Why? Why?" I choked, "_Why?_"

"Why did you have to get hit? Weren't you at school? Please don't forget everyone, everything. _I beg you… _If you can hear me, _I beg you… Please don't forget me_"

I breathed in drastically, my cheeks stained with tears, "Please… God… I'll do _anything_… What do I have to do?"

The silence answered my desperate call. I couldn't see Arthur. He was a blur; his hands were wet with my tears. The room seemed to echo my mourning.

I tried to calm down by listening to the soft sound of Arthur's breathing. His breathing was like a gentle breeze. His chest rose up and flattened down like a sleeping baby. I smiled through the tears. Drying my eyes, I remained clutching onto Arthur's hand. The lack of response made my heart sink.

Tick… Tick… Tick, the clock 'sung'. I stared at it, upset that I only had a few more minutes to be with Arthur.

Just when I was about to let go of his hand, a faint voice whispered at the back of my mind. I gasped, let go of his hand and jumped up. I gaped at him. He was still laying there. I swore I heard Arthur's voice at the back of my mind. That was not normal…

'_Pain…'_

Pain? Oh no, was he in pain? I panicked, ready to run for the doctor, but Arthur's voice echoed in my head loud and clear yet still soft like a whisper.

'_Paint __a picture for me, Merlin'  
_

* * *

**Hey there :). I tried to make this a little more dramatic :P, but I'm not exactly used to writing teary, sad stories. I think I make some people laugh instead of cry XD. Anyway, thank you all for reviewing and reading this chap, I appreciate it very much :). Have a happy 2012!**


	29. A String of Hope

**A String of Hope****,**** 1****st**** May**

"Merlin… How's Arthur?"

Will's voice echoes through my hollow mind. He had just explained that he had been keeping in contact with Arthur. Apparently since we were still kids… Uther Pendragon and Will's father were business partners and it seemed that they liked to brag about their children. And it also seemed that Arthur had feelings for me.

Well, according to Will anyway.

"He's still in hospital," I state over the phone without much emotion.

"Aw, come on Merlin! You can't be holding a grudge on me!" he whined, "I didn't know you still remembered the prat, let alone fall for him!"

Something jumped in my heart, "Let alone fall for him? What are you talking about?"

"Oh come on man, it's so obvious!"

"But I can't."

"Can't what?"

"Fall for him."

"Why?"

"Because… I'll make life difficult for him. He has to marry a woman remember?"

"No I don't remember you dollop head."

I sighed, there's no way to change Will's mind was there? Before Will was about to remark with something else insensitive, I hastily bid him goodbye and hung up. I knew it was rude, and I rarely hang up on him like that, but we were talking about Arthur… Who's injured and was stubbornly unconscious.

There was also the case of Tap. Where did that tiny troll disappear to? I searched everywhere for the bugger, but he effectively vanished. It was almost as if he was avoiding me and my depression.

I tossed the phone onto the bed where my canvas laid untouched and barren. Oil paints scattered around like the speckled reflections from glass diamonds. I squeeze the paint into the plastic lid and dripped medium onto a separate lid. The square brush quivered in my hand as I brainstormed on what to create.

I breathed in. I breathed out. The stench of oils made me cough violently. The phone started ringing again and I stared at for a good second before picking it up.

"Hello?"

"Oh, and don't forget to _let go__,_" Will's voice rung in my ears.

"Wait – Let go of what-"

Beep, beep, beep. Oh wonderful, another statement for me to work out. I sighed for the hundredth time this day and blotted down a random dab of auburn paint. It looked lonely, surrounded by the intimidating white.

Gradually, I dipped my brush into the medium, and back to the paint. Like watercolour, it flowed gently on the surface of white. I smiled softly as the satisfaction of preoccupying my mind took its toll. 

* * *

Arthur's heart beat was improving. Gwen, Lance and Gwaine accompanied me to the hospital. I was happy that they cared, even though Arthur appeared to have done something regretful in the past to them. It only seemed that Morgana still had a strong grudge towards him.

We sat beside his bed and watched his chest rise and fall. Gwen was the first one to break the focused silence.

"How do you know Arthur?" she asked Gwaine.

He peered at her and grinned, "He was my neighbour."

She blinked, "I don't remember you. I've been to Arthur's several times already!"

"No, no. Back in Ireland, we used to be neighbours," he laughed.

"Ireland? He lived in _Ireland_?" she gaped.

I blinked, "Now that I think of it…" Realisation clouds my expression, "You're that guy who stole all our pumpkins!"

My finger pointed at Gwaine in the most accusing manner, "Ma cried over that!"

He's face dropped, "Is that all you remember of me?" he half laughed, half whimpered.

"Well, yeah."

"That is just depressing!" he wailed.

Gwen giggled, Lance rolled his eyes, "What a crime," he remarked, sarcasm dripped from his tone.

"Exactly!" Gwaine exclaimed, happy over the fact that someone took his side.

"Oh god…" Lance muttered under his breath as Gwaine slid towards him to suffocate him with a man crushing hug.

"Don't touch me!" he cried.

"Whoa, whoa, alright, no need to burst."

I chuckled at the fuming Lance, who had his eyes sharply watching the cop.

Arthur's heart beat quickened. It was almost as if he heard us laughing and wanted to join in. I touched his fingertips and gently trailed my other hand other his bandaged eyes. _When will I see those sky blue eyes of yours again?_

Just as I was about to let go, Arthur's hand twitched. I gasped, _Arthur?_

His fingers curled around mine in response. I faint voice whispered in my mind, _'Don't let go. Stay.'_

I ran my thumb over his pulse. Thump – thump – thump: the feeling of hope beating in my hands.

* * *

**Hey again :), this one's short and simple. I haven't been writing a lot so it's a little rusty, but I hope you like it :D.**  
**Reviewers, I love and thank you for staying with this story for so long, you guys are legends XD.**


	30. Letting Go

**Letting Go, May 5****th**

Something fidgeted in my school jumper. It crawled around like a lost mouse inside the pocket. I didn't dare go near it. I feared that it might be some mutant creature from outer space. It was only at that thought did I realise that I must be going nuts. The doctor gave me good news yesterday, he said that Arthur's condition was improving and I was jumping for joy – well not exactly, but you get the point.

I convinced Morgana to visit him today. She told me only if she stayed for a few minutes and that was about it. I was keen to draw some information out of her. Like why she disliked Arthur so much and what their relationship was before I arrived at Peterson High. Maybe it was an inconsiderate thing to ask, but I didn't care. Sick of riddles, I wanted answers, now.

The dragon didn't offer much help either. Actually, none of those magical beings had. Tap had gone off somewhere and hadn't come back yet and I was seriously contemplating that maybe he was hit by a vehicle as well. Didn't like the thought, but coincidences tend to occur in the weirdest patterns – for example being able to communicate with Arthur _in my head._

That was not something that happened normally.

I called Will again as backup support.

"Tap's gone missing," I babbled.

Will knew Tap, heck, he knew _everything_. I couldn't hold it in; I was shocked that he believed me when I said the troll was flesh and bone real. Also the fact that he didn't think I was going delusional. There was also the case of Uther's company. He had told us two months ago that Ma and I had to leave, but he's so worried about Arthur he had forgotten about it. Even when his company was falling apart…

Ma began working fulltime at a laundry store nearby. She had her sights set on a small cosy apartment three blocks away from Arthur's. I remembered Rosette's ramble about how quiet it was without Ma in the kitchen with her. I chuckled at the memory.

"He's probably brewing some sort of potion for Arthur right now!" Will suggested with enthusiasm, but it retreated with a mumble.

"Sorry, I'm seriously putting your mood down."

Will laughed, "No man it's ok. Bridgette's here if you wanna talk to her, heard girls were better at this counselling thing than we men are."

"Sure, put her on."

Bridgette's voice same up concerned and hyper, "Merlie, what's wrong?"

"For the last time-"

She interrupted, "Is Arthur better?"

"Yes."

She sighed in relief and we started talking about Tap and his mischievous ways. She hadn't completely thought I was crazy, but she still had a hint of doubt whenever I mentioned Tap. She probably thought Tap was some made up character to ease my depression. Unfortunately, my supposedly depression soother magically disappeared on me.

We hung up the phone eventually. I didn't remember much of the superficial conversation. Bridgette and I tend to share those types of conversations nowadays.

I glanced at the clock, "Time to drag Morgana to the hospital."

* * *

Morgana fidgeted a lot. She was so restless that she made _me _uncomfortable. Continuously, she glanced at the clock like the world was about to end and her house might have contained a bomb. I asked plenty of questions to fill the stressfully awkward silence. It was weird because this was Morgana, the social, strong willed Morgana.

It was like Arthur was the only stain on her heart.

We sat waiting for the clock to strike four. The chairs cold and hard made my butt sour and numb all at the same time. I looked up:

"Why do you hate Arthur so much?" my question was meant to be innocent.

She hesitated, "He's my fiancé."

I blinked, "What?"

Her lips quivered and her eyes were shut tightly, "He _was _my fiancé, but we didn't click. When my parents died I blamed him," she whispered.

There was one thought that came to my mind, "Are you two engaged?"

I hated myself for asking such an insensitive question, but I couldn't help it. What would any normal person do if their friend suddenly told them that they were engaged to the person they love? It was downright awkward. But I made no move to ask anymore than that one particular question… Well, unless my mouth began to work on its own.

"I don't know actually," she shivered, "No one confirmed anything, I'd like to think we are over, but I'm not sure about my distant relatives and Uther Pendragon."

"Uther knew about this?"

She nodded, "Well, he was the one who provided for my house. He offered me to stay with Arthur, but I found it too unnerving. I blamed Arthur for killing my parents. I hated him and I still do. But I don't feel satisfied seeing him on this bed injured like my mother was."

Turning to me again, she smiled softly, "You must think I'm some sort of could hearted bitch from hell now don't you? Wishing Arthur to die…"

I didn't answer her question. I didn't want any conflict to arise from it.

So I settled with, "Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you had a thing for Arthur," she stated in an 'it's so obvious' voice.

"Is it still that obvious?" I complained a little.

"At least you know he likes you back," Morgana reassured.

The thing was Arthur never told me he liked me. There were plenty of actions that _hinted _it, but the thing with actions was that it's easily misinterpreted.

She stared at me with gaped eyes, "Are you serious, he hasn't confessed yet?"

It was my turn to gape at her, "What makes you so sure that he likes me back?"

"Because he _told me_!" she exclaimed.

"What?"

She laughed painfully hard, "He said was going to tell you eventually," she glared at Arthur's sleeping figure, "Now you better wake up and confess or else I'm going to enter your dreams and haunt you in the afterlife!"

I laughed, "You guys seem close."

"Remember, we are _ex-_fiancés, doesn't mean we can't be friends."

"But you always seem to have this gloomy expression whenever Gwen and I mention him, why is that?"

"At the AAL?" Morgana queried.

I nodded, "The atmosphere get's all tense after we mention his name."

She clapped her hands in realisation, "It's because he wanted to be in author, but he threw away all his dreams to follow his father's footsteps. I never liked Uther; he was such a controlling cold man in my eyes. We had an argument over our futures."

"What was your goal?"

She smiled, "I wanted to be a singer, and I only joined the AAL because it gave me a chance to write lyrics. Gwen composes the songs."

My mouth was on the floor by then, "And I didn't know anything about this, why?"

"We were waiting for you to finish that book we wanted you to write, but you haven't handed anything in. We were waiting for you to contribute something."

I rolled my eyes, "I've started though."

Morgana clapped again in approval, "Goodie!"

"Why did Arthur quit the AAL?"

"I was surprised too when he quit," she muttered, her eyes trailed to Arthur's wrapped up ones, "I thought he'd at least stay, you know? The AAL could've been his form of release from the stress Uther puts on him. But I guess he'd end up being too focused on his writing to do anything else."

This was the chance to hit the sensitive question… I carefully tread around it.

"About Arthur… And your parents..." I began, pursing my lips in reluctance, "What happened?"

Her grey-blue eyes clouded over, "I can trust you right?"

I stared into her eyes, "Do _you _think you can trust me?"

The question took her off guard, "Y-Yes."

I smiled, "I trust you too."

She grinned softly, but it drifted, "When Arthur left the AAL, my parents died. I found the coincidence to uncanny. I lost a friend and my family all at the same time."

Without hesitating, I gave her a warm hug.

She continued, "My father was drugged and stabbed, mother had a car accident. It was all a set up. Arthur was there at the time of my father's death. Heck, he was with him at the time he was drugged and stabbed. I-I just hated, revolted, at the fact that Arthur couldn't save him. Where he could have called the police, he just stood there."

_Arthur… Did you do it? Did you drug her father? _The thought was cruel, but the reply I got was sharp and sad.

_Yes… I drugged him… But I didn't stab him…_ It was faint, but it was enough to answer my question. I didn't let go of Morgana.

"Did you find the culprit?" I whispered.

She nodded, "A-Arthur drugged him. Apparently it was out of hatred. My father and Uther were rivalling positions in the Company, but Uther had almost lost his position. Arthur hated that Uther came home depressed and drunk. Arthur was only twelve years old. My mother died; because she got the call from the police that father was drugged and stabbed, she rushed to get here and didn't see the light go red. But Arthur wasn't the man who stabbed father."

_Who stabbed Morgana's father? _I asked Arthur… Hoping he would reply.

Luckily, he did.

_Dunno… This man… Patrick… Was in the Company too…_

"Have they caught the man who murdered your father?"

She shook her head, "He disappeared a year ago, but they found him homeless on the streets. He was ready to plead guilty… He said he wanted to apologise to me. I kicked him in the balls and face and ran. I just had get out of there. Away from everything."

We breathed in silence.

"I was just mad. Mad that Arthur was not being there for me when I needed support most."

"Not because he drugged your father?" I asked I tried not to sound too harsh.

"No, I understood why he did it. I hated him for doing it, but he was crying, sobbing when the police took him in as witness. He never told anyone that he drugged father. He told me a year later and I slapped him. I didn't speak to him for months. Childish yeah? But I had to let it go eventually, because Arthur was still around. I have to treasure what I have now."

I let her go, my hands remained on her shoulders, and I blurted, "You're really strong you know?"

She blinked and laughed, "That's so cheesy!"

I shrugged, "Hey, I'm a cheesy person," I mustered up my goofiest grin and poked her cheek, "How do you feel now?"

Morgana cocked her eyebrow, "Now? I'm fine, I've let it go."

Arthur's voice resinated in my head, _'Does she forgive me…?'_

"Do you forgive Arthur?" I repeated Arthur's words.

She rolled her eyes, "Oh of course."

A twinkle in her eyes indicated that she had some evil plan awaiting me. Her lips curved into a smirk and her eyebrows arched. I gulped, what was she up too?

"Do you like Arthur?"

I blink for the hundredth this day, "Y-Yes?"

"Do you love Arthur?"

I hesitated, "Love's a strong word Morgana."

"Do you or do you not?"

I sighed, "Yes… I do…"

Her smile got larger, "Pardon? I didn't hear that."

"I love Arthur Pendragon!" I shouted.

Her eyes sparked, "Remember me being a Shakespearian Cupid? Angels make miracles happen."

I gave her a questioning stare.

"Turn around."

I turn around to find Tap pouring a blue liquid down Arthur's throat. A croak came from Arthur's voice. I gasped and launched myself beside Arthur, starting at his hand as my hand trailed down to his. Grasping it, I felt his hand heat up.

"Tap, what did you do?"

Tap blinked at me and grinned, "I made a potion from the pond. His blood was in it."

Morgana clutched my shoulders, "He's trying to say something."

With that, Arthur murmured, "Merlin… You idiot…"

I laughed inwardly, tightening my hand around Arthurs.

_William, you psychic!  
_

* * *

**Alright, I know Tap isn't the most good looking Angel out there (him being a troll and everything), but he adorable anyway :P. Arthur is finally awakening (?) - didn't have enough patience to drag on the depression XD. I tried to link some of the previous chaps in this one to answer some questions - like Morgana's hatred for Arthur, etc.  
Thank you for reading and reviewing :)**


	31. Baby Blue Eyes

**Baby Blue Eyes, May 6th **

Yesterday Tap woke Arthur up. Yesterday Morgana confessed her deepest feelings. Yesterday, I heard Arthur say my name. Yesterday was a miracle to the point where I would turn religious. I wanted to give God or the divine being whoever was up there, a huge hug.

Thus I hugged the tree next to me on the way to the hospital. I didn't care if the dog was barking at me or the people around me judged me. I just thanked the heavens that I got to see Arthur up and awake again.

"Merlin, people are watching."

Morgana decided to come along with me. She figured it'd be better to hang out with me than become the third wheel with Lance and Gwen. I was surprised that Lance declared that he wanted to marry Gwen in the future. I was _even more _surprised that Gwen said 'yes'. Maybe the fact they were thinking about such things at such a young age, made my eyes wide.

I found out that Sir Bailey had a thing for Morgana. He admitted it to her yesterday and declared that he'd wait for two more years till she graduates. But the thing was… He didn't know that she was planning to drop out in year eleven to take a TAFE course instead. Her ambitions as a singer was still passionately on fire, but she decided it'd be easier to be prepared. We spoke to Uther about her passion. He was still hesitant about it all. Eventually we convinced him after a full six hours and he hired the best singing teacher in town.

Morgana was literally crying in happiness that she even hugged Uther.

When I reluctantly let go of the tree, Morgana sighed dreamily, "I can't believe I have a chance to become a singer!"

"I can already image it!" I cried out happily, "Morgana le Fray, the most amazing singer out there. I can hear those billboards and awards calling out your name!"

She laughed as we resumed walking, "You exaggerate Merlin, I'm not there _yet_."

I rolled my eyes at her remark. This was Morgana we're talking about, she's capable of anything. Well, in my eyes anyway. She laughed out loud and skipped along the pathway like a child with her favourite candy bar.

* * *

The hospital was as clean as always. But it didn't seem as bland and cold as it was before. It was like butterflies were flying around everywhere, welcoming me to happiness. And it was at that moment where I realised my delusional acts and snapped out of it. Butterflies? Seriously? Merlin, snap out of it!

Doctor Samuels informed us that Arthur woke up last night just after we left. He seemed slightly confused and it appeared that he had miraculously remembered everything. I reminded myself to set up a party Tap's amazing magic skills and Arthur's return.

Upon entering the room, Arthur had his head turned away from us. He looked lost, like a lost child searching for something. His hands wandered on the crispy, white bed sheets, but his head was turned the other direction. It was then that I realised that there was something covering his eyes.

Morgana and I quietly stepped into the room. Arthur jerked up in surprise and whipped his head around. Like a scared puppy, he moved away from the noise, but only to tumble onto the ground. Morgana and I dash up to him.

"Who's there?" he almost shouted.

His eyes were covered by soft bandages. We moved away slightly as he waved his arms around crazily, trying to find us. Morgana grabbed onto his hand and shushed him quietly. But Arthur didn't recognise her voice and slapped her away.

Morgana gasped in shock.

"Who are you?" he questioned.

"Morgana!" she screeched in offence.

Arthur's fear vanished, replaced by guilt as he reached out for her to reconcile with him. The sight made me a little sad. The strong, proud Arthur Pendragon is now a glass vase ready to break in a million tiny pieces. The casts on his legs didn't help either. Arthur struggled to push himself back onto the bed. Without his sight, he ended up grabbing the air and slipping off the walls. Morgana quickly went to help him.

"_Merlin,_ don't just stand there," she nagged, pulling Arthur up.

"Merlin?"

Arthur's voice soothed the atmosphere. I couldn't see his eyes and what expression they showed, but his voice broke out in fear. I motioned to grab onto his hand, but unlike Morgana, he slapped it away intentionally. A stab of pain went through my chest. He turned his head away from me and wobbled back onto his bed with Morgana's help.

What did I do to him? All I did was visit him every day, worry about him. What did I do?

The atmosphere of the room tensed dramatically. My previous happiness came crashing down on me like an avalanche. It left a hurt trailing behind it.

Morgana sensed my depressing emotions and gave me a soft hug. I whimpered sadly. This for some strange reason caught Arthur's attention. His head perked up, he scanned around for the small sound.

"I'll leave you two," Morgana whispered in my ear and smiled.

"Morgana?"

The fact that Arthur was scared to be around me alone made it hard for me to smile. I pulled out the wooden stool and sat down beside him. Not once had he faced me directly.

"Arthur," I murmured.

He tilted his head towards my direction, "Merlin."

"H-how are you?" I stuttered, then realised how stupid the question was, "Right now that is."

"Ok I guess."

There was a tight awkward silence. And I sort of snapped.

"Why aren't you talking to me?"

Arthur picked up on my pained voice and quickly explained, "I-I just woke up…"

After a brief pause, he gave up making up excuses, "I bet you're laughing at me right now. Oh, look Arthur is broken, he can't bully anyone now!" he mimicked my voice.

My eyes widened, "Does it sound like I'm laughing at you?"

At this question, Arthur froze, "No…"

I sighed inwardly, "Please get better."

Pushing the seat back, I got up to leave. Arthur wasn't in the mood to talk, so I figured it'd be better to leave him to some peace. But I was mistaken as Arthur clutched onto my wrist forcing me to stay. His hands cold from lack of blood and his figured callous yet secure. I fought back the urge to hug him.

"Stay."

I blinked. Arthur tightened his grip and pulled me onto the bed with him. The soft mattress bounced slightly from my landing. He let go of my wrist and wandered up my arm and to my face. A small grin was painted on his face.

"Merlin…"

I held onto his hand and chuckled, "Arthur, you're hands are cold."

He smirked, "You're face is warm. Tell me _Merlin, _are you blushing?"

I stuck my tongue out, "In your dreams."

"What if I said you were in my dreams?" his smirk grew wider and wider.

I raised an eyebrow, "Oh really now?"

It was around this time, Morgana barged in with three cans of coke.

"Oh sorry, am I interrupting something?" she asked a smirk matching Arthur's spread across her face, "I brought coke."

I forced a smile, "Thanks Morgana."

Arthur didn't hide it at all, "Oi, you just ruined a perfectly romantic moment!"

Now, _that _statement made me blush the colour of a beetroot. Morgana cracked up like a witch and almost sent the cans tumbling to the floor. Arthur didn't understand what was so funny, but he scowled at her anyway.

"Romantic? When were you ever _romantic_?" Morgana laughed hysterically.

"A man changes when he's in love!" Arthur blurted.

Ok, now _both _Arthur and I had turned into a pair of strawberries and beetroots. Obviously, Arthur wasn't planning to say that, but my heart was plummeting like a bongo drum so hard that I swore it was about to burst. Arthur? Well, he was fidgeting and pretended that his confession did not just come out of him mouth.

Morgana on the other hand, she's on the floor.

I was surprised that Dr. Samuel didn't jump right into this moment and took Morgana to the mental institution because her laughter… It's just not natural. My cheeks burned and I swore to God that I will never let this get to me ever again.

"Y-You guys are _adorable_!" she panted from laughter.

Arthur growled, "I don't like being called cute!"

I backed out from the conversation.

"I named my dog after you! Of course you're adorable!"

She's like one of those enthusiastic fan girls. I'm a little scared of those who are _too _enthusiastic. Arthur seemed to agree with me.

"Dog?" Arthur's mouth dropped to the floor.

Morgana rolled her eyes, "Yes dog."

"I still can't believe you named it after me…" Arthur grumbled, "I told you to name it Richard…"

Morgana's face scrunched up in disgust, "Richard? It's too cute for that! Besides you bought him for my birthday."

"And what did I get? Oh yes, perfume that smelt of peaches," Arthur retorted.

I laughed, remembering the moment by the river in the rain the day we met Tap. Peaches, I should buy him a shampoo bottle with the scent of peaches.

"Merlin… Don't you start thinking-"

I smiled innocently, "Whatever do you mean?"

Morgana and I laughed while Arthur grumpily sat there. Dr. Samuel strolled into the room with a clipboard and casual wear.

"Is it a special day doctor?" Morgana asked mischievously.

Dr. Samuels smiled, "No, quite the contrary, it's my day off, but I came to check up on Mr. Pendragon here."

Arthur beamed, "Can I take this bloody thing off now?"

"Yes, but I'm going to do it for you. So don't you even think about touching them."

"Ok, ok," Arthur surrendered.

The unwrapping was painstakingly slow. Dr. Samuels tried not to do anything hastily'eyes are delicate,' he had said, 'it's best not to pressure them.'

Eventually, Arthur's face was fully revealed. I stared at awe as I noticed his eyes were a shade lighter than they originally were. Kind of like a sculpture that stared straight ahead. Dr. Samuels sighed sadly and shook his head. He tucked the bandages into a plastic bag that was clipped onto his clipboard. Morgana gave him a queried gaze.

"Is it done yet?"

It was then, we realised that Arthur actually couldn't see anymore. And it was almost impossible to retain his sight again. He felt his face and realised the bandages were gone. His pale, glassy eyes widened, but didn't move. Covering his face he tried to touch everything. He rubbed his eyes over and over.

"I can't see. I can't see. I can't see," he panicked.

There were tears forming in his eyes, "_I can't see_."

My eyes welled up as I gave Arthur a hug. He clung onto me like a frightened boy. Pushing him back I stared into his now glass irises.

With a choked sob I whispered, "I'll paint a picture for you."

* * *

**Before anyone gets confused with the ending speech line it's metaphorical/symbolism thing (Merlin isn't going to literally paint a picture). Anyways, thank you for reading and reviewing I appreciate it very much :D. **


	32. Kiss and Run

**Kiss and Run, May 19th **

Arthur found it hard to walk. After being discharged from the hospital two days ago, he had only been sitting in a wheelchair. Uther had suggested that he'd buy the wheelchair for Arthur, but his son's pride wouldn't allow it. I had wanted to slap Arthur across the back in irritation, why let pride get in the way of his health?

"I can't do it."

I stared at Arthur in utter disbelief, "Are you going to give up?"

He sat grumpily on the armchair and glared at the wall of his house, "I can't see anything, and you expect me to _walk_?" he whined grumpily, "You'll never understand."

I sighed dramatically, "Stop saying that Arthur."

"Why? Do you know how annoying it is to be bloody blind?" he protested.

"No I don't know, but I want you to at least _try_," I encouraged the best I could.

"Then give me a kiss."

I blinked, "What?"

Arthur's face reddened, "I-I said… Give me a kiss."

"What's the magic word?" I smirked.

"Stop teasing me already!" Arthur ordered like a child with a tantrum.

I didn't say anything back and pulled away from him. He gasped and waved his arms around and tried to find me. It only made me back away further. Arthur's perplexed expression made me pity him just a _tiny _bit. I touched the tips of his jittery fingers and he relaxed immediately. But he attempted to pull me into an embrace – which I diverted quite quickly if I do say so myself.

"You have to reach me," I challenged.

Moving away, I stood there waiting for Arthur to get up and walk up to me. His clear glassy eyes blinked uncontrollably and he reluctantly pushed himself off the comfort of his armchair. Unfortunately, he let go of the arm rest and he tumbled back onto the chair again. I sighed and tapped my foot on the ground signalling impatience.

I won't wait forever you know.

Almost as if reading my mind, he desperately tried to stand up. He clutched onto the side walls and felt his way towards me. Because I was a kind soul I moved closer to him so he wouldn't have to suffer. He heaved a relieved sigh and fell into my arms.

Peaches and lemons mingled in my nostrils. I tucked my nose and lips into his blond hair and nuzzled it. Arthur grumbled something and clung onto me.

"Kiss me."

I rolled my eyes, "It'll take more than just that to make me snog you."

Arthur scrunched up his face, "Why did you have to use the term _snog_? Kiss is nice word to use so use it," he demanded, "It's not like it's the first time we kissed."

The memories of our first confusing, fleeting kiss poured into my mind like a typhoon. It wasn't much of a kiss if you asked me – so fast that I barely remembered it.

"You ran away though," I pointed out bluntly.

He blanked, "No I didn't. I'm Arthur Pendragon, I don't run from anything!"

I raised my eyebrow, "But you'd run from a kiss."

"I didn't know what I was doing ok? It was a fleeting moment!"

"Yeah, a kiss and run tactic too it seems," I drawled.

"Shut up."

I smirked and leaned forward so that our faces were inches apart, "You'll have to do better than that to shut me up."

Before he could reply, I quickly leaned in and gave him a kiss on the cheek. He blushed like a virgin and crumbled to the ground. I grabbed onto him and handed him a walking stick. He turned his head at the stick and then at me and connected his eyebrows.

I leaned in again and kissed him on the forehead.

He perked up, wanting more and I chuckled, but to my surprise…

Arthur pecked me on the lips and shockingly enough ran off with the walking stick and into the other room like a scared kitty.

I stared dumbfounded at the empty space that Arthur had occupied.

"Arthur, come back here!"

* * *

If anyone was wondering, the game was still going, but because Arthur couldn't see, he couldn't tell if he was in a public area or not. And considering the lack of cars that drove by our house, it made it more frustrating to tell the difference between the outside from the inside. So the amount of times Arthur has kissed me in front of a bunch of strangers…

He had forgotten about his numb legs. He was so preoccupied with the 'Kiss 'n' Run' game that he would waddle up to me at any time, any place regardless of his pained legs. I scolded him, I nagged him, but he just won't listen.

That's why I took refuge in Morgana's house for a bit. It wasn't that I don't like being kissed by the blond, it was just he won't _stop_. Yes, one kiss was great, but a thousand in a row continuously? _I can't even take a nap!_

"Gwen gave me the details," Morgana's smile could've stretched off her face, "I see you guys are progressing quite quickly."

"Progressing?" I blinked in disbelief, "Sure, except Arthur won't stand up properly if I don't snog him, and even if I walk away from him, he gets up and snogs me anyway. What time is it?"

Morgana checked her silver watch, "Three ten."

"Oh my god, it's been five hours already," I sighed.

She raised her eyebrow, "You make it sound like a chore to kiss Arthur."

"Because he's doing it every few seconds!" I whined.

"Look, he can't see so he can't read your expressions. You should tell him seriously otherwise he might misunderstand the situation."

I took Morgana's wise words in. She was right, Arthur would think that I didn't like him – I hadn't confessed to him yet either. Morgana's eyes glinted with happiness.

"Ok, I'll go."

Her smile broadened, "That's my boy!" she cooed like a mother.

I rolled my eyes at her, "See you tomorrow!"

In the distance I could hear her shout, "Don't forget to say 'I love you'!"

I laughed, "I know!"

* * *

Arthur was sitting solemnly on the couch. I tread silently into the lounge room where he was mourning over the fact that he couldn't watch TV anymore. Trust me, it wasn't the first time he sulked about that, and I doubted it was going to be his last. Gwen preoccupied him with singing and asked him to join Morgana's singing lessons. Of course the sarcastic prat had to say, 'Sure, I'm already blind, why not become deaf as well!" – I wanted to punch him then and there.

It seemed that without his eyesight his other senses were enhanced. I didn't even _touch _anything and his head is perked up like a meerkat. He turned directly to my direction, his pale blue eyes like a doll's scared me a little.

"Merlin, is that you?"

The uncertainty in his voice was my undoing. I gave up avoiding him and leapt and cuddled him. At first he was perplexed, absolutely mortified, but he sniffed my hair and relaxed. I wonder what I smelt like to him. His lips twitched into a smile.

"Hey," I whispered, "What do I smell like?"

He paused for thought, "Uhh… You smell like Merlin? I don't know, was I supposed to check every day?"

"Yes, you're supposed to check every day," I said sarcastically, "No, I mean in general."

He raised his eyebrow, "Well… You smell like… Raspberry! And a hint of pixie dust."

"Pixie dust…?" what had Gwen been reading to him?

"I mean, a little bit of magic, you know…" Arthur stammered unsure in what to say.

"Magic… Arthur, do you know where Tap is?" I asked out of nowhere.

"No… Haven't heard him or sensed him at all," Arthur shook his head.

That was strange. Tap had been missing ever since Arthur had been cured. I had checked the dungeons in the castle and the dragon had disappeared as well. It was like they vanished into thin air like fairytale characters. I was beginning to miss the tiny troll's country accent and flamboyant ways. The dragon, he was a mystery as a whole, the disappearance just added to that fact.

There was also someone else who vanished as well. Miranda… I visited Charlie's Café yesterday, but Charlie just shook her head sadly at me. Miranda had a brain tumour and she didn't survive. Her funeral was taking place on August the thirteenth. Gwaine had sobbed so hard that I almost cried with him. It was a shock to me when I realised that Miranda was actually Gwaine's daughter.

"_She's my kid; I should have taken care of her properly!"_

_These were the moments where I would give Gwaine a gigantic hug, but he was too preoccupied with telling me his story, so I sat down beside him a listened. The rain outside the window fell like balls of paint._

"_She was another woman's child. I couldn't take care of her, but I visited her every five days a week, but being a cop, it was hard to keep track of time. I don't how many times I've disappointed her just by not turning up for her birthday."_

_The guilt oozed out of his voice, "My ex-wife Helen is already married with a daughter, Marie… Heard her husband is a rich Spanish man…"_

_I heard the jealousy just drip from his tone has he described the man who won his wife's heart without any effort. He wanted Miranda to live with them, but Charlie had found out that the girl had issues with her head – things like headaches, illusions and nightmares. Sometimes she had trouble forming the simplest of words or walking._

"_I didn't know about it."_

_That was the sentence that hurt the most. Her own father didn't know about her illness till it was too late. Charlie told me that Miranda begged her not to tell Gwaine, saying that it'd worry him to no end._

"_I would have worked hard to pay for it! Why was I so oblivious?" he shouted._

_The tears streamed down his face, over and over, like a fountain. I just watched him, said nothing and watched him pour his heart out._

It was probably not the best memory to remember when you're in the arms with the person you love, but it was the first thing that came to mind. It was like the magic in this world had vanished, like their mission was complete. A part of me felt terrible, because I didn't see it coming. If I had been more observant I would've realised it myself.

As if Arthur read my mind, he tightened his hold.

"What are you thinking about?"

I stared up at him, stared at his closed eyes and his long lashes.

"Don't leave me."

His eyes didn't open, "Why would I?"

"I don't know… Just checking I guess…" I mumbled uncertainly, hoping Arthur didn't take it offensively.

"Well…" Arthur murmured, "If a burger came along then maybe-"

"Arthur!" I whined.

He chuckled, "I'm kidding, I'll never leave you, _Merlie_."

"Did Bridgette get to you? Where and when did you meet her?" I exclaimed dramatically.

"Over the phone, man you guys have the _weirdest _conversations."

"She told you?"

"Oh yeah, every detail."

"Oh God…" I muttered under my breath, "Even the whole 'I ran into a pole thing'?"

"Yep that too."

I was going to hunt that woman down.

Without thinking, I leant forward and pecked him on the cheek. He pulled me in to kiss again, but I evaded it and got off him. He complained. I laughed. He pouted. I'm sorry, to the people who idealised about pouting, but I found Arthur's pout so hilarious that I burst out laughing. He looked like a cross between a monkey and a rabbit!

"Hey, I can't _that _weird when pouting!" he protested, defending his dignity.

"Oh Arthur, don't ever do that again," I choked from laughter.

"But mother used to say-"

I interrupted him by kissing him fully on the lips. He froze and just as he was about to respond, I let go.

"Not the cutest pout," I whispered, "But I love you anyway."

* * *

**Man this is fluffy... :P - I was listening to Lego House by Ed Sheeran (it really inspired me to write this chapter for some reason). Thank you for reading and reviewing :). **


	33. It's You, Me and the Horizon

**It's You, Me and the Horizon, June 30th **

"My god Arthur, move your arse!"

Morgana's exclamation made me crack up. She shoved Arthur into the window of the van. Uther in front of us merely chuckled as he steered the steering wheel. Morgana and Lance were arguing about Twilight's Jacob and Edward. I cursed Gwen for introducing the darn characters to them. They just won't be quiet about it.

And because of Arthur's hypersensitive ears, every bicker as like a piercing in his eardrums – I had told them to be quiet, but they didn't listen. Gwen who was sitting peacefully at the front had her earphones glued to her ears. I could hear the music beating from them; I knew what she was like when people interrupted her meditation time – if you valued your life, just don't interrupt her.

We've passed the Buddhist Temple. The tall trees awed us as the sun shone through them like specks of light from a disco ball. Arthur smiled at the sound of the donging sound of the Temple bells. I assumed that it gave him a calming vibration that soothed his mind from all the high pitched bickering from inside the van. We did stop near the temple though, except Uther had other plans for us.

Morgana knew of them, but wouldn't tell me.

"Edward is _obviously _sexier!" Morgana protested passionately.

Lance rolled his eyes, "Oh please, they both _suck_, like seriously? A werewolf and a vampire? How old are you?" he chided.

Morgana huffed in irritation, "It's a _book._ It is for entertainment. It stimulates the mind!"

"Or it gives us delusional thoughts," he sneered.

Arthur perked up suddenly, "You shouldn't say that when your girlfriend – who introduced these ear piercing characters – is sitting right in front of you. Oh, I sense danger."

Gwen's fists were balled up so tightly that the whites were stained around her knuckles. I swore her eyebrows were twitching. Uther made no move to ask her what was wrong, probably too focused on driving and not crashing down a cliff.

Ignoring them, I stared out the window. It was convenient being seated at the back of the eight seated car. The wind blew viciously against my face as I shoved my head out and took a deep breath of fresh air. We were currently driving along a cliff which winded down to the beach. There was a villa on top of the cliff.

The view of the sea was breath-taking. Voices faded and the salt air, for some strange reason, made my stomach growl angrily.

"Merlin, was that your stomach?" Arthur couldn't help but chuckle.

"N-No."

Another laugh, "Don't lie to me _Merlie_."

"Oh shut up."

"Enough fighting you immature brats," Uther stated bluntly, "We're almost there."

"Yes sir," we all obeyed without hesitation.

That was when Gwen cracked up like an overdramatic chicken. We all glared at her simultaneously. Her pink hat was glued onto her head, but the loose rim was fluttering about aimlessly. Morgana like a cat pounced and took the hat hostage. Gwen squealed like a piggy. Lance merely stared at his girlfriend's newly found vocal range. Arthur obviously wanted to pound his head on the window.

"Give that back Morgana!" she whined.

"No!" Morgana backfired.

"Why not?"

"It's pink that's why!"

Uther heaved the loudest, most depressing sigh I had ever heard, "Finally, we're here."

Now everybody shuts up. The villa was not huge, but it was not tiny either. It appeared cosy like one of those cottage houses, but it was nothing like a cottage house. There was mostly glass that showed off the insides of the villa. The veranda encircled the house's triangular shape. It was coloured coffee brown – kind of like the inside of a café Gloria Jeans. The roof was flat and slanted slightly upward like an arrow, pointing to the east across the ocean and horizon. It was an unusually built villa indeed.

The entrance was relatively small. The door was arched which was new. But it was the inside that made us falter at our feet. Well, I faltered.

It was an extremely open spaced home. There were no doors in front of me. To the left was the lounge room where the windows were the walls. The crimson curtains were tucked at the very corner of the lounge room. I could see the front porch and the car from here. There was a heater 'fireplace' with an audience of light tiramisu coloured furniture. The coffee table was low with a candle that sat casually in the middle.

I was still in front of the entrance. I couldn't see the kitchen since the cream white wall was in the way. It was Morgana who exclaimed excitedly about the design.

"Did you just buy this place? It looks so brand new!" she jumped up and down.

I carefully tread on the polished wooden floor that was the passage to the bedrooms. The kitchen was rather large. The stove was the heart of the silvery steel room. Beside the stove was the counter where the empty glass fruit bowl sat. The tiles were grey and patterned with calligraphies of flowers.

During the investigation, I had almost forgotten about Arthur. He stood in the lounge room looking so lost. I rushed over to him and entwined my hand with his. He's pulse calmed as if soothed by water.

"What does it look like?" he asked, staring past my head.

The stick was secured in his hands, I smiled, "It's big, comfy, place. It kinda looks like a café."

"A café?" he raised his eyebrow.

"You've been to _Gloria Jeans_?"

"Ah, they sell good coffee," he praised, a smile tugged on his face, "What about the kitchen? The tiles feel nice."

"It's _huge_, well not literally _that _big, but still large," I chuckled to myself, "It's like looks like one of those posh kitchens on TV."

"Those?" Arthur laughed, "Father! Since when did you value good quality kitchens?"

Uther rolled his eyes, "Since your mother began cooking and caused chaos in every kitchen we've ever had. I had to build one that was Ygraine proof."

It was the first Uther had ever mentioned his wife. Arthur's smile didn't falter, it was as if he was the sun shining brightly and it reached Uther, and made Uther open up to us. Even Morgana almost dropped the fruit bowl she was playing with.

Now, here was something interesting. Where had Gwen and Lance run off too?

"Our other two lovebirds have escaped us it seems," Morgana smirked.

"_Other?_" I gaped.

She stared at me with the 'are you serious?' stare, "Please reassure me that you two are going out."

I was about to say we weren't but Arthur barged in before I could.

"Yes, we are."

I almost fainted.

"Good," Morgana's smile was starting to frighten me.

We found the escape artists in the bedroom. Being _civilised_, before anyone got the wrong impression. They were sitting side by side in the first bedroom on the top bunk bed. All four rooms were similar in appearance. All had massive glass windows with corners specked with rose glass. Curtains draped at the sides were indigo blue and thin. Bunk beds shoved to the side away from the door and a white wardrobe. The carpet was white as snow (which I might add, would be an absolute pain to clean). And an empty study desk placed opposite the bunk beds.

Arthur and I decided against sleeping in the same room, but Morgana being Morgana, changed our minds because deep inside me, I knew, I knew she'd be scheming something evil in that pretty mind of hers. Uther had returned with the luggage. Feeling guilty, we declared we'd cook dinner for him. He laughed it off and hoped we wouldn't burn the house down.

Of course, Morgana raged, Lance rolled his eyes, Gwen blushed in embarrassment, Arthur grinned and remarked with something witty back, and I merely sat there enjoying the atmosphere of this place.

"Are you going to argue or unpack?" Uther tapped his foot on the ground.

Arthur tapped me with his stick and I ushered him to our room next to Gwen and Lance's room, in front of Morgana's room. He closed the door and fell onto the comfy chair beside the desk. I rolled my eyes and started unpacking.

"It smells like lemons in here," Arthur piped up, "Are you wearing the cologne Gwen bought you?"

"Yes, why, what's wrong?"

Arthur shrugged, "It… It's just that lemon's my scent. I won't be able to find you without your raspberry scent."

"My voice will give me away though," I smiled as I placed the clothes on the bed, "Top or bottom?"

Nearly falling off his chair, Arthur stared at me wide eyed, "You're a bit fast Merlin."

Fast? What? Wait a second… Oh, _oh_… Oh my god that sounds wrong. Blushing madly, I rephrased the sentence, "Do you want to sleep on top or on the bottom."

"That still sounds bad Merlin," Arthur pointed out, but less shocked.

"That's only because you have the mind of a gutter!"

"I'll sleep on top thank you very much," Arthur's teasing voice tickled my ears.

"Hope you don't fart or anything," I retorted playfully.

"Hah! Me? Doing such things? No way," Arthur bragged as I rolled my eyes.

I helped him unpack for a couple of long, bickering hours until Morgana barged into the room and run back out again with only her bra and underwear on. I gaped at the opened door. What the hell just happened? Arthur didn't notice and figured it was just Morgana getting on a sugar high.

"_Pssst_," Morgana whispered cheekily, "Uther's asleep. You wanna go down to the beach?"

I raised my eyebrow, "Butt naked?"

She giggled – yep she definitely ate all the M&M's in our candy jar.

"No, but we can do skinny dipping if you want," her suggestiveness towards Arthur and I made me shiver in fright, "Anyways, come down with me. Gwen and Lance are coming too."

"Ok, just let us finish."

"Better be there in ten minutes!"

With that, she skipped off to join the others. Arthur had been quiet the whole time. He fumbled with his clothing and made no move to join me.

"Aren't you coming?" I asked, pulling out the digital camera from my bag.

Arthur hesitated a little, "I-I'm just going to be a burden to you. I can't see anything and you'll have to keep an eye on me every minute."

I blinked, my mouth stretched into a smile, _he didn't say he didn't want to come_, "Then you're lucky that you're gorgeous."

He cocked his head, brows scrunched together, "Wait, does that mean if I was ugly you wouldn't-"

Before he had the chance to misunderstand my sentence, I swooped down for a kiss. He smiled into it and pressed closer. It took about a minute before Morgana barged in _again_ (but this time with clothes on).

"You've got five minutes," she smirked and sauntered off.

Arthur and I glanced at each other, "What the…"

It wasn't long before we burst out laughing like a pair of buffoons.

* * *

I swore at the cliff. When Arthur and I reached the bottom we were panting like dying dogs, our legs gave way to the soft, warm white sand underneath us. Arthur had sprained his ankle as he stumbled on the road and I supported him the whole way down. But man, he was one heavy human being – in a muscular way, of course.

Our backs were against the sand. It was soft enough to be our bed. The bright blue sky blinded my eyes, so I diverted it to a small star shaped cloud. I could hear in the distance, Morgana's laughter as the splashed Gwen and Lance. Gwen squealed and toppled into the water and Lance laughed at her. Arthur's steady breathy made me calm, his hand brushed mine.

"The sun is killing me!" Arthur whined, flapping at the light.

"It can't be that hot."

"Well, with you laying there next to me doesn't help either," Arthur snorted.

Heat rose to my cheeks and thanked the lord that Arthur couldn't see it. He'd never let it go. It wasn't long before Lance took refuge with us, obviously given up on Gwen and Morgana's sudden gossip time.

"Sometimes I wonder where women get their information from," Lance said suddenly, "I swear they must have some sort of secret organisation or something."

I laughed, "For Morgana it's understandable, but Gwen? No way…"

"You'd be surprised, you'd be surprised."

I sat up and watched the girls giggle about something devious. It didn't help that they peered at us every few seconds.

"I swear… They're planning something evil against us!" Lance said in suspicion.

Arthur cocked his head to the side, contemplating on the idea of the two girls plotting evil. It seemed his brain couldn't image Gwen doing anything like that.

"Gwen's an angel," Arthur cooed in observation.

Lance laughed, "On the outside."

"Then can I have her?" Arthur was treading on dangerous ground.

The look Lance gave him was of shock and obvious possessiveness, "Although I am of chivalrous character – you will not _touch _my Gwen!" he half heartedly sneered.

"I was only kidding Lance," Arthur laughed, "I'm not even interesting in women."

Lance almost fainted, "What?"

"Merlin and I am an item," he bragged proudly and clung onto my hand.

I blushed deeply, "Arthur…"

"HA! I _win_!" Lance cheered.

I blinked in confusion, "Won what?"

His eyes sprinkled with glory as he explained joyfully, "You see, Gwen and I made a bet that you guys are _getting it on_ – you know, and well, Gwen said 'no way' like her innocent mind couldn't take it. So, I made a bet with her, I voted yes that you guys are going out or had feelings for each other and Gwen voted no."

He turned to the girls and yelled, "Hey Gwen! I _win_!"

In the distance Gwen moaned in regret. I rolled my eyes while Arthur smirked. He leaned in to give me a kiss, but Lance jumped up in shock.

"As much as I like you guys and support you – can you minimise the physical ahem contact…?" he started fidgeting awkwardly.

Giving us a glance, he stood up and hurried up to the girls obviously too awkward to stick around us. Arthur sensed this and was rolling around in the sand in laughter. I kicked him and he cocked his eyebrow up, his eyes glittered with amusement.

"I don't think Lance will be able to deal with the fact that we're gay," he chuckled.

I rolled my eyes for the second time, "Arthur, he supports us; he'll deal with it fine."

Arthur stared at the sun, probably soothed by its warmth, "It's just you and me now."

"No idiot," I slapped him on the arm, "Me and you, our friends, Uther, Ma and I could go on but I think you get the point."

It was a nice silence that glazed over us afterwards. I stared at the rolling of the sea and the slightly pink sky indicating night was approaching. The soft white sand dry in my hands as I clenched onto them and the sound of Lance wailing over something as the girls laughed boisterously. Arthur just gazed at the sun, his blue icy-like eyes tinted with golden pink reflection of the sun and sky.

"What does it look like?"

I described the place in an exaggerated sense, but I wanted Arthur to envision something bigger, grander, better. Standing up, I pulled him to the water and splashed a bucket full onto his face.

"MERLIN!" he roared and slapped the water at my direction.

It was almost as if he could see again. And his smile was so wide like he received the best gift in the world.

Eventually, Morgana, Gwen and Lance joined in – ending up with a full on war. The amount of time Gwen rocketed into the water sent Lance into a nagging fit. His protective aura on, he wouldn't let any of us near her. If we did, he would kick us into the water underneath and smile evilly at us.

But of course Morgana was more devious than him.

"I need to talk to Gwen," she said seriously.

Lance raised his eyebrow and gave her the 'this ain't working' look, "No."

She sighed, "Come on we're girlfriends, and I have something to tell her."

Admitting defeat, he let go of his guard and allowed her to pass, "You hurt her. I hurt you."

Morgana nodded, and then whispered, "Who said I was going to hurt _her_?"

Out of nowhere, her leg shot in front of his and tripped him. Lance crashed face first into the water with a gigantic splash, water sprayed everywhere.

"You _bitch_!" he screamed.

Arthur and I heard Morgana cackling from a distance.

"Kids…"

And it appeared that Uther heard it too.

He stood there in his floral pyjamas, and glared at us. All of us scrambled back on land and stood before Uther soaked and now shivering.

He sighed, "Get inside before you ruin this holiday by catching a cold."

Morgana beamed, "Last one to the van is cooking dinner!"

Lance gaped at her retreating figure, "Hey, I thought we cooking it _together_!"

Gwen merely laughed, jogging after them. In front of us, I could hear Uther mutter under his breath, "Young love…"

Arthur and I just linked our hands and smiled.

* * *

**So... Could I get anymore cheesier? Yes I can :P, but I won't haha.  
I give massive thanks and hugs to MertherDreamer for requesting/coming up with the beach idea ~ thanks man :D. There is one more chapter left and I give big thanks to everyone who read this and reviewed, favourited :). You guys are awesome. **


	34. The Last Page

**The Last Page**

**July 20th**

Mirada's funeral was held today. The sun hid behind the clouds, and every black suited person here sniffled. Gwaine had brought the whole police force with him. During the speeches, he cried non-stop that he stole the clouds' tears away. We tried to comfort him, but Arthur shook his head at me.

"Let him be," he whispered soothingly.

A part of me didn't want to listen, but my mind agreed with Arthur. The cemetery was dead silent, only the whistle of the wind breathed past. In the distance behind a grave stone, I swore I saw a small stocky figure of a troll peer at me. But once I blinked, he was gone. A part of me wanted the magical being to stay, but things like magic wasn't attainable forever.

Arthur had sunglasses on to cover his glassy eyes. Although he had never met Miranda, he came on Gwaine's behalf. He was the only one there who was not sobbing.

When Miranda's funeral ended, we accompanied Gwaine to wherever he wished to go. Arthur occasionally stumbling across a rock he did not feel with his stick made Gwaine chuckle a little. I could feel the seething glare behind the sunglasses.

It took a while for Gwaine to adjust to his own smile, but Arthur sensed his tension and cracked a witty joke I didn't hear which sent Gwaine to tears of laughter.

I thanked the lord that Arthur had an unnerving sense of humour

* * *

**September 15th**

Ma and I moved out of the Pendragon residence a couple of months ago. She had already moved her furniture into the apartment and was waiting for me do the same. The furniture was a pain to carry mind you; it was bloody heavy that even Arthur cursed under his breath whilst lending a hand in carry it. Uther merely rolled his eyes at us. As if he could carry this a hundred tonne couch!

Morgana began visiting me every day and offered me singing lessons – with her as the teacher of course. It sort of went like this:

"Merlin, we should be a duet!"

I stared her unblinking, "I can't sing Morgana."

She rolled her eyes, "Of course you can! I'll teach you!"

"B-But-"

"No buts Merlin, we're gonna be a duet!"

Now if I had said no, she'd death glare me until my brain had a hole through it. I'd like to keep my brain thanks.

The first day Arthur visited me at my house, we acted like we met all over again – this time however, it's him staying over at mine's. He was extremely arrogant and smug as he marched in like he owned the place. But since I've been with him for so many months, I knew that this was one of his ways of hiding his nervousness.

"Hi, I'm Merlin," I smiled randomly, shaking Arthur's hand randomly, "Welcome to my dungeon."

Arthur raised his eyebrow, but smirked and played along, "Arthur. Does this dungeon by any chance serve roast chicken? I can smell something burning."

"Oh shit!"

I heard Arthur boisterous laughter ringing in my ears as I tackled the oven and forced it open.

Thank god it's just over heated…

* * *

_**Six Years Later:**_

I stared at the diary entries I had written six years ago. It was a nostalgic feeling rereading the emotional pages of my younger self. Most of the time, I would roll my eyes at my own stupidity. Other times – as embarrassing as it was, I sobbed to them as well. Arthur, who was still beside me, chose to become a preschool teacher. I told him no because he's terrible with children, honestly, his patience lacks.

The last page was empty and at age twenty-two I was contemplating on whether I should finish that one last page. I hadn't written anything down for a long, long time. And speaking of writing, I had finished that novel, but I was too nervous to tell Arthur that I used his first draft that I found in the gym room years ago – according to my diary March 9th. It was funny because the six paged draft Arthur wrote was about a meeting between two people and how they were forced to live together.

And I chose to finish it.

I mailed it to Morgana yesterday, and I received an email this morning that said:

_You flaming idiot Merlin :), this was due six years ago! What am I supposed to do with it now? Unless… You want me to send it to a publisher… I don't think they'll take this…_

_Morgana xoxo_

No, I really didn't want her to send it to a publisher, but I wanted her to read through it. Inside it contained Arthur's unspoken words of apology to Morgana's parent's death. And also Sir Bailey had contributed and wrote the last chapter, with an addition of a proposal. He had been trying to track her down for the past few years.

It wasn't hard considering that Morgana succeeded in becoming a singer and her face was all over TV. It was more of the fact of contacting her without her hanging up. Hence, Sir Bailey begged me to allow him to write the last chapter.

If she sent that novella to the publishers they'd think we'd gone nuts.

My phone buzzed on the table:

_Oh my god, oh my god… Merlin, where's Sir Bailey? – Morgana_

I could hear her squealing on the other side. Just as I was about to text back, Arthur strolled in his boxers and really bad bed hair. We had started to live together in an average sized apartment near the castle. Why near the castle? Don't know, we were just strangely attached to it I guess.

"Why are you so happy?" Arthur queried in curiosity.

"I can never understand how you can tell what I'm feeling without actually seeing my facial expression," my eyes wide in disbelief.

"You become really fidgety and loud when you're happy – I could hear you cackle to yourself like a maniac from our bedroom."

"Hey! It wasn't that loud, you're hearing is way too good!"

Arthur rolled his eyes, "You want to go eat out later?"

I thought for a second, "Just the two of us?"

He smiled slyly, "It's a surprise."

I blinked in confusion. Surprise? I didn't really like surprises; they always had a knack of turning out for the worst. But I just nodded and accepted the wide, glowing grin of Arthur as he casually left the room.

I glanced at the text from Morgana and texted back.

The phone buzzed before I cold reply back.

_Don't worry – Arthur has just invited me somewhere – Morgana_

So Morgana was coming. I hid the disappointment, because honestly, I was sort of expecting something kinda romantic, but then again, it was Arthur we were talking about. I giggled at the image of Arthur with a rose in his mouth like a cheesy tango dancer and his eyes glinting like a lecher. In my head, Arthur could dance. In reality, Arthur was like a bouncy ball bumping into every living and inanimate thing possible around him.

I still teased him about that actually.

With Arthur outside perfecting whatever surprise he had cooking up for me; the apartment was peaceful and calm. It reminded me a lot of Ma's apartment – small, simple and homely. Arthur had wanted to buy me a mansion, but I kicked him and told him how on earth we would pay off the mortgage. We didn't even need the space.

During the talk of houses, it led to children. Did we want one? I didn't mind, but Arthur was a little hesitant since he worked with 'a hoard of miniature versions of evil' everyday. His first day there was terrible. He came home with tears (manly tears).

_"Merlin…"_

_"What's wrong?" concern clouded over me._

_"Me being blind… Am I useless?"_

_"No. Who told you that?"_

_"One of the kids," Arthur's voice was a mere whisper._

_"You're not useless. You're one of the most bravest, cleverest and of course, prattiest man ever alive."_

_He raised his eyebrow, a smile tinted on his lips, "Is prattiest even a word?"_

_I blinked, a blush raised from my neck, "S-Shut up."_

It got better later though. The kid (Mordrid) apologised to Arthur and eventually began to cling onto him like a baby koala. Apparently (according to Arthur), Mordrid was a loner child and preferred the company of Arthur than his peers. Things got troublesome when I met the boy personally though. He glared right through my head.

Arthur and I never spoke of that day ever again.

I pulled apart the curtains and revealed the starry night sky; the crescent moon glowed like a light bulb in a dark room. My phone started ringing.

"Arthur, what's wrong?"

There was muffled laughter in the background and Arthur's voice sighed back, "Get dressed."

"What?" I blinked.

"Get dressed, write this down."

I hastily retrieved a pen and some paper, "Yeah?"

"Come to Café Pala Al Frances in Mercia, wear clothes that are not depressing, also Merlin."

"Yes?"

"Hurry up," Arthur's tone teased.

"Ok, ok," I rolled my eyes, "I could've gone with you earlier jeez."

"That would defy the plan."

"Plan, what plan – "

I was interrupted with the phone's loud beeping. Arthur was secretive these days as well – not in the bad way, I meant he always had a surprise lurking in the corners of the apartment, or a sudden quirky message left on my phone. And of course, I was expected to oblige.

The wardrobe was a hell hole ready to explode. There was a nice, freshly ironed suit shoved in the corner with my rainbow vests and depressing T-shirts. Taking it out, I read the tag hooked over the tie.

_"Wear this. Oh, and also, clean your god damn wardrobe Merlin."_

Arthur… You smartarse twat. The clock ticked and demanded me to hurry up. The suit fitted nicely around me and was soft to the touch. I noted to compliment Arthur on his taste. And his handwriting, he had gotten a lot better writing without seeing – though I had no idea how he did it.

I took my wallet and headed to the bus stop.

* * *

The bus to Mercia was crowded. I could literally smell the musky scent of tired, overworked people and the scent of over dosed strawberry deodorant from the woman five people away from me. A small hand tugged at the hem of my suit.

"Ola!"

I blinked, "Ah! I remember you!"

It was the little girl from my last trip to Mercia. Marie. She was smiling broadly at me. Amongst the people she was like a little beacon of light emitting an aura of sunflowers. I spied Helen her mother sitting at ease as she smiled at me. I waved and turned back to the hyper Spanish girl.

"What's wrong?" I queried.

She puffed her chest and blew up her cheeks, "Are you going to the café?"

I noted how her English had gotten more fluent, "Yes, are you going too?"

"No..."

Her smile was fading and desperately tried to cheer her up, "Would you like a cupcake? I can buy one for you at the café."

"Do you like chocolate?"

"Yes I do very much, do you?"

She beamed her sunflower smile, "Me encanta chocolate!"

I assumed it meant 'I love chocolate'; "Would your mother like one too?"

Marie shook her head, "She is on diet."

Just as I was about to reply to her, Marie interrupted me hastily, "There was this golden man in preschool; he said to give this to you if I see you on bus."

She handed me a small folded note. I took it and she vanished from my sight. Unfolding it, there was a scramble of childlike handwriting and I couldn't contain my smile. Arthur was improving, but obviously not there yet. I spied for Marie, but she had already hopped off the bus with her mother. Helen grins and her eyes cheered me one.

The only problem was: what was she cheering me on for?

The stop to Mercia tings and I get off along with a couple of people. The atmosphere here was still humid and hot. It was like summer everyday here. The crowd of people hustled along the pathways and some on the roaring roads while I peered over their heads for the café sign and the romantic violin playing.

"Over here!"

The quiet voice lured me to the side of the street. It was Sophia. Her eyes bright with mischief that I had to back away to make sure she wasn't going to whip out a knife or something.

"Arthur is waiting…" she winked before strutting off and vanished with the crowd.

I turned and right there in front of me was the café just down a new lane. I jogged my way up to it; the wind enjoyed messing up my hair and suit. I only stopped when I noticed a posh, shiny white limo with a pink ribbon tied on the hood. I was a little tired that I barely picked up the melodious sound of a piano singing inside the café.

Feeling hot and stuffy in the suit, I straightened myself up and quietly clicked open the door. The aroma of cakes and warm scented candles hugged my senses. I shut the door behind me and came face to face with an empty room filled with white and pink streamers, and a poster that conveyed boldly –

"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

I jolted from shock.

It was Morgana who attacked me from behind with a tight bear hug. I let out a choked laugh. She let me go and I for the second time nearly had a heart attack. She was in a long white dress made for a queen. It flowed down to her feet and resembled a traditional Chinese dress. There were patterned of small cherry blossoms scattered loosely on the dress.

"Wait… What's going on?"

Morgana giggled, "I'm getting married!"

I blinked, "Now?"

She nodded eagerly, and that was when I felt someone tap me on the shoulder. Sir Bailey greeted me with a bright smile and I stared at them in query. Didn't Morgana just get the story today?

"I proposed to Morgana last year, but kept it a secret," Sir Bailey's smile never fades, "If you read through the last chapter, you would have realised that I had written in tiny letters 'meet me at the café in Mercia' not a proposal itself."

So, I should've read through the book properly.

Gwen let out a loud sigh, "You should have. Then you would've gotten married sooner!"

"Focus on marrying Lance!" Morgana and Sir Bailey shot back.

The whole room burst out laughing. Leaving Lance to sooth a fuming Gwen. My eyes couldn't help but flicker around the room for a golden haired man. But he was not there amongst the guests. There was a pinch of disappointment, but I kicked it away and focused on the 'going to get married' couple.

"Oh, Merlie…" are you serious, Morgana too? "Arthur's here, don't you worry."

This statement was accompanied by a wink. There was something about women winking at me today… Ladies, I'm a man who likes men… and rainbows. Just to make that clear.

Upon that reassurance by Morgana, I couldn't help by scuffle around, peeking through every nook and cranny for Arthur. In which he wasn't occupied in any.

_Where was he?_

I had to cease my activities as the priest – good old Anthony (our previous drama teacher) – entered the room in the most traditional get-up. He chants everything and the couple said their vows smoothly (thank god). We the audience, sat by the café tables cheering and clapping as Morgana pretty much ate Sir Bailey's face. I laughed at that.

The violin started singing again and Arthur was still not present. Gwen and Lance were huddled together and I felt rude to interfere with the couple. Uther was flirting with a woman I didn't recognise. She had brunette hair and square framed glasses. She reminded me of a small oak tree. Later I found out she was Freya's mother; a designer from Spain.

"Well!" we all stared up as Morgana climbed up the table despite her dress, "It's time to cut the cake!"

It was around then when everyone started singing 'Happy Birthday to you' and I flushed in embarrassment. I had forgotten about my birthday… Where was Arthur?

I picked up the knife and carefully sliced through the cake (which was the size of half of me). Why did they buy such a massive cake? I was in the midst of my trance, until the cake started growing fingers. I almost screamed as it exploded.

Everyone screamed – some squealed.

My eyes were closed, the knife clanged to the ground as someone embraced me at the front. I slowly opened my eyes. The smell of cake and the texture of cream smudged on my cheek. There was a lingering scent of lemons.

"Arthur…"

There was a chuckle in response, "Hey Merlin, happy birthday."

I almost cried. I hated surprises, but my heart was so light and was beating so fast from joy that I cried on Arthur's shoulder. He knew I was happy and held onto me.

"You… Almost gave me a heart attack."

"What, you didn't like it? Too troublesome?" Arthur whispered.

I laughed, "Only you can lead me on an errand like that."

"I know, that's why I did it," he joked as he let me go.

A cough interrupted our romantic moment.

"Well, since you've ruined the cake Arthur… Who wants to eat croissants and jam?!" Morgana cheers randomly.

Everyone rushed after her to the café kitchen where the owner was hiding. Arthur took my hand and pecked me on the cheek. I think back to the last blank page in the diary at home and how I was going to end it, with a cliché happy ending.

* * *

**OH MY GOD! I finished it! :D Thank you _everyone _for reviewing and reading this (I give virtual hugs for all of you!). I am like dancing in my head from joy :P. Once again, thank you for reading Meeting You and Loving You :).**


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